


The World We Live In

by tmltml71



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Humor, Original Character(s), Post Avengers (Movie), Romance, SHIELD, Telekinesis, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-22
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2017-11-12 15:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 29,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmltml71/pseuds/tmltml71
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>S.H.I.E.L.D. has been watching Matilda for a while, but so has everybody else, and she's evaded them easily enough for the last 202 years. So why does Matilda let S.H.I.E.L.D. take her in? Hawkeye/OC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Let's make it well known that I don't own the Avengers.

The only light in the room was that coming from the Vegas strip. Matilda had moved her couch to just in front of the wall of windows, so that she could stare out at all of the lights.

She had started off sitting Indian style, but it got uncomfortable quickly. Her right elbow rested on the armrest, leaning back slightly because of the position her wrist was in to keep her cigarette ashes from falling onto the couch. She had moved my right leg so that it was bent vertically. Her right forearm sat on her knee and her right hand hung lazily.

She took a drag of her cigarette. She had sensed them coming. There was one in particular that had the key to her door. The others all had weapons save for the one.

Although she could not see him or his motions, she felt the arrow being notched and aimed towards her. She moved her right hand to flip off the man, who was standing on the roof of a hotel room, not too far away. He would see it. She knew it.

The door opened. With a mere twitch of Matilda's fingers, she brought the clip board from the man entering her room's hands into her own. She leafed through the pages. It was all wrong. She had really gotten them off of their game if they thought it was all true. Then again they might have made a false file to get her confident and sloppy. Matilda wasn't going to let her own ego bring her down.

"Director Fury, it's so nice of you to drop in," she greeted. "Care to join me? The strip is so beautiful at night."

"Matilda Knight, we've been looking for you," he said.

"And here I am, sitting on my couch in Las Vegas, with your men behind that door ready to take me down, your assassin on the rooftop right over there." She pointed to where she knew he was. "And you in here talking to me, about what I'm not entirely sure, but I'm assuming I'm going to have to go in?"

"We need your help."

"With what? May I ask? Or is too confidential?"

"It's called the Avengers initiative and I will tell you more about it once you come with us. My question is will you do so peacefully?"

"It's like my theory on airport security. If you can manage to hijack a plane with a pair of tweezers, then you deserve the plane. If you manage to track me down, you deserve to take me in."


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't own the Avengers and I forgot to put that the title credit goes The Killers.

Matilda was taken to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and put in a room. It wasn't a cell, but a room. That didn't mean that there wasn't a cell like feel to it. There was a bed and a dresser, but aside from that nothing, and it was all white. She sat on the center on the bed Indian style and rested her hands on her knees. She closed my eyes and reached out. She felt every tool there was in the room around her, every button, every switch. She could have easily gotten out, but chose not to, opting instead to humor the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who gave her either curious, stoic or smug looks.

A man walked to the door, he gave her a kind smile before opening it and walking in.

"I'm Dr. Bruce Banner," he introduced himself, putting a hand out for her shake.

"Matilda Knight," she said, shaking his hand. "I know what they want me here for. Do you know what they want me here for?"

"Yes, although I was not expecting this," he said gesturing to her.

"Let me guess you were expecting black hair, dark eyes, and tan skin?" That was what they brought her in looking like. On her way there, she'd changed, deciding to go back to one of her previous looks, an alternative one.

"Given your abilities, I'm not entirely shocked you look any different."

"True."

...

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! We're getting fresh meat. Why?" Tony ran over to Bruce, from where he was standing trying once again to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database. He started reading the file over Bruce's shoulder.

"Matilda Knight, born March 9th, 1810 in London in Great Britain to Mary Knight nee Hunt and Charles Knight," Brice read aloud.

"How the hell was she born in 1810?"

"Some type of odd cryostasis? Like Cap and the ice?"

"But he's a super soldier, what is she?"

"I dunno."

"Well I am going to go find out," Tony said getting ready to head towards the room Matilda was in.

"Or you could just keep reading," Bruce suggested.

"Give me that." Tony snatched the file from Bruce. As he leafed through them his already insatiable curiosity peaked even more. "Telekinesis and shape shifting abilities." He looked up from the file in time to notice that Bruce was gone. "Son of a bitch."

...

"So I'm curious about you."

"What do you wanna know? What I do or to what extent?"

"Extent. Based on the file I was given, I already know what."

"I can copy and living humanoid being," she said. She happened to see Tony Stark's approach. She shifted her form to mimic him. "I'm Tony Stark billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, Ironman," she said, and I'm in a dress." She had changed her appearance, not her size this time.

"There is only one of me," Tony said, walking into her room. Of course she knew of Stark. How could you not?

"One of him is enough," Bruce muttered under his breath.

She smirked and returned to her current cover. She ran a hand through her teal and black hair.

"So I get to bask in the presence of the one and only Tony Stark. Should I be savoring the moment?"

"I would if I were you," he said.

"Why don't you use that money of yours and get me a pack of cigs? A girl gets antsy, when she's used to having a pack of day."

"How long?" Bruce asked.

"You just wanna know if the birth date you read is correct."

Bruce looked guilty.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm curious as well, but I highly doubt I will get to ask my questions until later." she smiled reassuringly. "I've been smoking since 1917," she said, "A terrible habit, but what can I say. Everyone has a vice. Mine just happens to be tobacco." The door was still open from when Tony walked in. A guy walked past, and she saw the cigs and lighter in his back pocket. "Or you know what? Time for magic trick number two." Matilda raised my hand and aimed it at the guy. She held up two fingers, flipped her wrist and made a beckoning motion. The guy's cigarettes and lighter flew to her hand. She pulled one out and lit it. "Want one?" she offered.

"You actually are telekinetic," Bruce said,

"And you gave a condition," she said, "It truly is spectacular though."

"You know ab-"

"Fury has been trying to find me for years, so I've been doing come digging. When you're two hundred and two years old, you learn some tricks, like when you've been given a fake file, which you've confirmed with your knowledge of me." She took a drag of the cigarette and blew the smoke out. "Much better."

"He chase you into the sunlight? Make you burn, until you decided to come with him?" Stark asked.

She laughed and let the insult go. "The truth, I let him catch me. Now from what I gathered based on your personalities, Bruce you're supposed to be assessing whether I am mentally inclined to be a threat since we both know that physically I am, and Tony, my guess is that you're not supposed to be here, but following orders and not snooping are two things you're not very good at."

The two men looked at each other.

"I can't read minds, if that's what you're thinking, but I've observed enough people, taken enough classes and read enough books to be able to have a pretty good guess on what they're like. I'm old remember? I've had a lot of time on my hands."

"Tony, Bruce, I see you have met Ms. Knight."

Matilda instantly hardened. She blew out the smoke from her last drag and without making any movement moved it towards him and had it circle around his face, before allowing it to dissipate. "Tell your tech I'm sorry, but I needed my fix."

"I'm sure he won't miss them, shouldn't be smoking on the job anyways, now let's get to the real reason you're here. You've got a very special skill set, one that we feel could be useful."

"And you want my help?"

"We want you to join us," Fury said.

"And I didn't even get my evaluation finished. You're either really desperate or you think that I'm really something."

"It's not just your powers that make you a valuable asset."

"Then what is it?"

"We can-"

"My answer depends on yours. I've been around the block a few times, and I'm not committing to everything until you give me my answer."

Bruce and Tony watched on curiously. Tony was to smirking. It wasn't often that someone other than him didn't let him have his way.

"We'll discus-"

Matilda was irritated by this point. She let out a sigh and flicked the cigarette away. She faced her palm flat towards him.

"You might want to rethink that," he said.

"But I don't." She made a fist and lifted him off of the ground slamming him into the wall.

Matilda had been through this same song and dance before. People tried to recruit her, to use her. She'd also been captured, tortured and almost killed. "What is it that you want? I've been put on a stake, tied up, hooked to tubes, prodded with needles, and thrown into more bodies of water than I care to remember, so until you tell me what you want, I will be skeptical."

"I like her," she heard Tony say.

"You don't think I have men, who are waiting right now, for my order to take you out?" Fury had the men, but they weren't there. They weren't outside waiting. He was bluffing. She knew it, but didn't let him know that.

"I don't think they're gonna do it, because you're not gonna give the order. Answer my question, and I will put you down and be on my best behavior."

"As I'm sure you're probably aware, Captain America has made his return to the world. Unfortunately, he is still confused by most modern technology and references. Thor is here as well and has a similar issue. You've been around for a long while and are best suited to help the two."

"All you had to say was that you wanted me to be a tutor." She dropped him. "I can do that, but there will be no needles, no tubes, no fires, no stakes and I swear if you drop me in a single body of fucking water, I will lift this whole place and send it to the fucking moon," she snarled. Towards the end her control was slipping and her hair started top float and whip around her.

She took a calming breath and turned towards the boys. "Dr. Banner, you're the only one, who gets an exception to the whole needle, just ask first."

"You two," Fury addressed the boys, "Find Agent Hill and have her show Ms. Knight to her quarters for when she's here on base."

"And when I'm off base?" I asked.

"You'll come to live with the crew and I in my tower, just be careful not to get into Spidey's web or more importantly my stuff," Tony said.

"This should be interesting," she said with a smirk.

"Ms. Knight, welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D. and welcome to the Avengers."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://s907.photobucket.com/albums/ac278/tmltml71/Story%20Stuff/Matilda%20Knight/Chapter%201/


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reordering, because it got messed up

After spending hours in meeting and in labs getting checked out and talked at every day for a week, Matilda was allowed to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and go to Stark Tower, which was pretty much Avengers headquarters.

"Alright, Incubus, welcome to my tower," Tony said walking into Stark Tower.

She rolled her eyes. Due to the pale skin, black and blue hair, and gothic nature of her current look, Tony insisted on calling her Incubus. She had heard it all before. She figured he was gonna have a name for whatever look she had, so she was gonna make it a small mission of hers to stump him.

A doorman greeted the two and opened the door. They got in the elevator and he began to explain the tower to her. "The top floor is mine. It's my pent house. I do however share the kitchen and living room, unless I'm not sharing the living room and kitchen. The two underneath that are the rooms, where everyone stays. Guys on one girls, which is you, Thor's girl Jane, when she stays, her assistant Darcy, and Spidey. I didn't make it that way, Steve did. Underneath that is the board rooms and Avengers tech center. When shit goes down that's usually, where we meet. Then there are the labs. Half is Bruce's half is mine. I usually don't share, but exceptions had to be made. This teamwork thing, it's rough."

"I bet it is."

The three floors underneath that are combined to form a training center. I don't know what kind of training you do, but once we figure out what you need, it'll be outfitted for your needs. Actually I should put some sunlamps in there. That ought to help a help of a lot with your sunlight issue."

She rolled he eyes and made her skin tone darker. "Happy now?"

"Still a vampire," he said.

' _He wants vampire, I'll give him vampire_ ," she thought. She extended her canines and let out a hiss.

He ignored her. "Underneath that is all of the luxury stuff, a spa, a sauna, a pool."

"Stark resort," she muttered retracting her teeth.

"Under that is all of my business stuff down to the bottom, which is mostly maintenance and stuff. "Down in the basement is the fun stuff, secret tunnels, cliché, but use able leads from under the down out to four different entrances to the outside world. Cars, jets, and an armory. There's also one in the training room, but it's not nearly as well stocked."

"Not really my idea of fun stuff." Matilda's idea of fun was using her power. She enjoyed a challenge and overcoming her few limitations, were what she enjoyed the most. That's not saying that she didn't enjoy normal activities, reading, watching movies, pranking. Oh how she loved to prank. Unfortunately she couldn't do it often because she rarely ever got close enough to someone to find something that would work perfectly for them. She did nothing half assed. Tony was gonna be one of her first targets.

"Then what is? Sucking blood, souls, co-"

"A safe and the dark."

"Sounds kinky."

She rolled her eyes again. The pair reached the ninety second floor, and Tony started walking to what was gonna be her room. "This is your room." He pushed open the door. "Pepper had way too much fun, when I told her she could design them."

"Pepper has great taste," she said, looking around the room. It was entirely black, white, silver and grey. She almost smirked at that, but suppressed it. The floors were black hard wood and the walks and support beams were white except for the wall that bed was it. It was done with damask wall paper that was white with a grey pattern. The head board and footer of the bed we white with a Victorian feel to them. The bedding was a dark gun metal color. There were a few rugs that matched the bedding scattered about. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were silver. There were small tables one at the foot of the bed and one on the left. The left one had a white chair that went with it. Across from the bead hanging on the wall was a flat screen underneath it a white dresser. There was a desk on the left wall that had nothing on it, but I knew enough to know that it was able to hold any type of electrical set up you could think of. ' _I'll have to get on that later,_ ' she thought.

"Knock. Knock."

She turned towards the door. Captain America himself was standing there. A wide smile spread across her face. "Steve Rogers."

….

_Matilda had just set down a cup of black coffee down in front of Mr. Johnson. She turned to head back to behind the counter. It was pouring outside. 'I am not gonna enjoy walking in that," she thought. In walked in a young boy, probably about 16._

_He sat down at the counter. She walked back and went over to the boy. "What can I get you son?" she asked._

_"A glass of water please," he said. He was very quiet and wouldn't look up._

_"Are you okay, Kid?" she asked, concern etched on her features although her tone was rough._

_"Ye ma'am," he said._

_"Look up," she commanded him. Matilda, didn't need 110 years of people skills to know that the boy was obviously lying._

_"Huh?" he asked._

_"Don't play dumb with me boy," she told him. Her voice had a slight southern drawl that she picked up from her time in Texas, which was out of place in Brooklyn._

_"Sorry Ma'am." He looked up. His left eye was beginning to swell shut and his lip was busted open. A small line of blood was beginning to trickle from it._

_Matilda muttered a cure and went and grabbed some ice. She wrapped it up in a towel and handed it to the boy along with his glass of water. He held the rag so that it was touching both his lip and his face. "Thank you Ma'am."_

_"You can stop with the Ma'am," she said to him. Matilda knew that she was a Ma'am, but at the time hated feeling old._

_"Then what would you like me to call you?"_

_"My name is Matilda Knight, but you can call me any variation of Matilda you want." She liked the boy despite barely knowing him._

_"Miss, can I get refill-"_

_"One moment sir," she said to the customer._

_"What's your name?" she asked._

_"Steve, Steve Rogers."_

_"Miss I would really-"_

_She was losing my patience with the man, calling me over. "Hold on a second!"_

_"Knight, attend to the other customers! Does this kid even have money to-"_

_"It's on me Randy!" she yelled at my boss. She turned to Steve. "Hold on a moment, and I'll be right back, and if Randy tries to be all big and bad, just tell him that Tilly's looking out for you."_

_Matilda bitchily made her rounds before returning to Steve. She sat back down next to him. "So how does a kid like you end up with a shiner and a busted lip like that?" she asked._

_"I get beat up_ _–_ _a lot," he said._

_"You tell your folks?"_

_"It's not their job to fight my battles. I'm too old for that."_

_"How old are you?" she asked._

_"Nineteen," he said, "I know. I don't exactly look it."_

_"You act it," she told him, "Actually you act older. I've seen quite a few rowdy customers come in here, twice your age with less than half of your manners."_

_"Thank you."_

_"Have you ever just tried running away?" she asked. As far as Matilda was concerned, there was no shame in running away. She had done it on many occasions._

_"No, running isn't an option. Running just leaves me open to more."_

_"You're a good kid. You know that?"_

_"You're not much older than me," he said._

_'_ Oh but I am _,' she thought. "Want me to quit calling you kid?"_

_"If it's not too much of an issue."_

_"You're gonna go far, be something special. It's not your size that matters. It's your will, your fight, your heart. It's in you. I can see it."_

_"You truly believe that?"_

_"I live by it."_

… _._

"Captain America, here in the flesh," she said, "It is an honor."

"It's a pleasure to meet me Ma'am," he said.

"Oh how I was right! You truly have become something special!" she couldn't help, but cheer a little. She ran up and hugged him.

"Cap, you know her?" Tony asked.

"I'm not sure," Steve said.

"You've read my file as well?" she asked, Cap.

"I hope it's not too much of an invasion-"

"It's fine. It's fine. Anyways in 1940, I had reached 22 physically. It was also the year I quit aging." She looked at Tony. "You gonna note that for future reference?" She didn't let him answer and turned her attention back to Steve. "I had just spent ten years traveling around Texas and decided it was time for a major change in scenery, so I moved to New York. Brooklyn to be exact. I changed my looks and got a job as a waitress." She changed to her old form.

Realization dawned across his face. "It's not your size that matters. It's your will, your fight, your heart," he repeated her words.

"Oh goody! You remember."

"Anyone wanna fill me in?" Tony asked.

"No not really," Cap said, "Matilda, you've changed, quite a bit."

"Helps to stay hidden."

"Also gotta stay current," Tony said.

Steve's face fell.

"And that is exactly why I'm here. I'm going to get you in touch with the modern world." She switched her form again, this time back to her alternative body. "But first I need to meet the rest of yinz and get settled in."

"Yinz?" Tony questioned.

"Yinzer speak a.k.a. Pittsburghese, I've had a few stints there."

"I'll go see about getting the Hawk out of his nest and the Spidey from her web," Tony said leaving. He yelled as he walked down the hall. "Spidey bitch spidey bitch does whatever I spidey bitch does," he sang.

There was the sound of a door opening and a few thuds. Matilda stuck her head out of the door just in time to see Tony hit the wall once more and slide down it. "That's rich," she said with a smile.

Natasha looked at her. She narrowed her eyes, before retreating to her room.

"Ignore her. The life of an assassin has really gotten to her," Steve said, "Let's go meet the others.

 


	4. Chapter Three

_She was in the dark. She couldn't see, but Matilda could feel the objects around her. There was a door knob behind her, a table in the center of the room, and dotting the floor were various traps. She was tied up and hung from the ceiling. The knots were very intricate and were nearly impossible to undo, if they could not be seen._

_She didn't need to see. She could feel. Every object in the room, the air that was constantly fluctuating, the water dripping from the ceiling. She could also feel the rooms around me. The kitchen beneath me. The control rooms behind and above me, the people in them. One of the sick bastards was pacing. Another was sitting, head resting on his fist watching, waiting. She moved the switch that released all of the controls to her hell chamber. Instantly she hit the ground beneath her. None of the traps activated._

_They were up. They were running. She brought the knives up from the kitchen willing them through the stair well. She was instantly tackled by the two men as soon as they reached the room and busted through the door. Before she hit the floor the knives she had beckoned were placed in their backs._

_Her mask was sitting on their desk. As she ran, she pulled it to her. She changed her appearance as she darted out of the back door of the hidden lab. "Sie gehen zu müssen, härter als das zu versuchen, wenn Sie sicherstellen, dass ich nicht mehr raus wollen." (You're gonna have to try harder than that, if you wanna make sure I can't get out.)_

_The mask hit her hand, and she held it to her face using only her thoughts to tie it. Once she was out, she turned and raised both of her hands before making a dramatic slamming motion. The building collapsed in on itself. Just for insurance she lifted it all up and dropped it. '_ That's one of the central powers' labs down. More to go. _'_

...

Matilda slammed her head against the glass of the table. She closed her eyes. She reached to grab her cigs out of her purse, only to feel that they weren't there. She sighed and brought them to herself. She lit one and put it in her mouth. "Alright, class is dismissed, because I'm getting a hell of a headache."

Both Thor and Steve looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry, Ma'am."

"My apologies, Matilda, lady of knowledge," Thor said.

"It's fine. We'll skip the tech lesson for today," she told them, "You may leave."

They left the dining room, which had become her class room.

"Yeah, didn't teach a lot of this back in the day," she said to Steve, before he left.

"Makes me glad I graduated, when I did."

"You'll be fine. You've got the capacity to learn all of this and soon enough you'll have no problems with the modern world."

He smiled and left.

She gathered her stuff and had it follow behind her as she walked. She changed from the form she used, when she wanted to look relatively normal around the tower.

"Do you ever use your hands for anything?" Tony asked.

"To punch people," she said, "Wanna see?"

"JARVIS please inform Incubus on my smoking policy."

"I have sir, multiple times," JARVIS said.

Matilda smirked, knowing where this was going.

"And?"

"I was met with quite a bit of strong language and a few threats."

"You swore at JARVIS?"

"JARVIS, I apologize for my earlier behavior. You were only doing, what this jack ass instructed."

"It is quite okay," JARVIS said.

"Tony, what do you want?" Tilly asked walking towards the kitchen. He books and laptop floated in front of her, and she dropped them into her arms. She grabbed a water bottle and took a sip turning to look at him. "My head's killing me, so make it quick."

"I've been doing some digging."

"Am I supposed to be surprised?" she asked.

He continued as if she hadn't spoken. "So apparently in 1910 a strange woman appeared in various towns around the United States taking care of robbers and murders. The description changed a lot. Sometimes, she had bright colored hair and really pale skin. Other times it was dark or normal with skin that matched. She then popped again saying to have saved as many members of Titanic as she could. She also appeared in the journals of world war one soldiers, helping out the allies."

"Interesting," she said, sounding extremely uninterested.

"You were alive then," Tony pointed out.

"In 1910, I turned eighty although physically I was only 16."

"They said she moved things without touching them. The media started calling her masquerade because she wore a mask, which is very cliché by the way."

"It's not cliché, if you do it before it becomes cliché. Then it's classic," she informed him.

"That's not why I'm here."

"Of course not."

"Bruce wants to see you in his lab."

"JARVIS tell Dr. Banner, that I will be down in a little bit."

"Yes Ms. Knight."

"Tony, go away," she told him.

"This is my house," he said.

"Respect your elders," she shot. She went to her room changed into a t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. She slid on a pair of DCs and walked towards Bruce's half of the lab he shared with Tony. Tony was on his half, working on something for his suit, while Bruce was sitting at his desk. She knocked on the door. "May I come in?" she asked. She sounded small and childlike.

"Never knock, when you come to see me," Tony said.

"I don't like you," she replied, sounding like herself once again.

"I thought it was that you didn't have any manners."

Bruce and Matilda gave Tony matching ' _are you serious?'_ looks.

"She was born in 1810," Bruce said.

"I was raised in eras, where you practiced manners like you practiced religion. In all of that digging you did, didn't you notice that Masquerade, didn't exactly draw too many fans? Behavior like that was frowned upon. Women were supposed to stay in the home, not run around a deliver vigilante justice, even gifted ones. It wasn't considered proper." She smirked. "At home, when I wasn't out and about kicking ass and taking names, I was a prime example of a proper woman. That's what drew in my first husband. He was two years older than me and a lot richer. Poor bastard didn't stand a chance. I think he actually loved me."

They were both giving her scared looks.

"I didn't kill him. He got tuned up one night and fell into the river by our farm and drowned."

"One black widow is enough," Tony said.

"Care to say that again?" Natasha said, poking her head into the lab.

Matilda had spoken at the same time. "I didn't say that."  
The boys ignored Romanov and gaped at Tilly. "There were some bad times, some desperate times," she said.

Natasha rolled her eyes and left.

She's very guarded," Bruce said.

"I get it. Been there."

"So I actually was wondering if I could run a few tests," he continued.

"What kind?"

Bruce went on to explain what he wanted a blood sample and to run a few scans. He also wanted to monitor her brain wave activity, when she was and wasn't using her powers. He got his blood and ran the scans. He looked over the charts. "You say you've been smoking since the early 1900s?" he asked.

"Yes, I know terrible for me."

"Your lungs show very minimal effects."

"I move things in my body." She pointed to an empty container across the room. "Can I use that?"

"Yes," he said.

She barely even moved my fingers, and it came to her. "This is disgusting," she warned Bruce. The container was sitting on the counter in front of her. She put a hand on her chest and focused on her lungs, on the tar inside. It was more difficult to moved things inside a body. It was hard to moved things that were on a cellular level as well. The key was not to think of getting rid of all the tar in parts, but as one solid mass. When she thought of things as a whole it was easier to move than thinking of getting rid of all the pieces. Once she felt she had it, she pulled her hand, so that all four fingers were side by side and her thumb was touching her middle finger. She cautiously, but swiftly moved her hand up from her chest up her neck past her jaw until floating right above her hand was the glob. She dropped it into the container.

Bruce just looked at her, both mildly shocked and disgusted.

"That was disgusting," Tony said.

"I can move anything and everything, with very few exceptions and limitations."

"What are these limits?" Tony asked.

"I can only move things with in my range that I am either familiar with, able to see, or feel."

"What is your range?" Bruce asked.

"I don't know exactly. I'm gonna say with in a twenty mile radius, unless I'm familiar with it," she answered. "Tony, that mask you were talking about, it's in a storage facility in Paris. I can bring it here. It'll take a few days, but I could bring it here."

"So if we were to stick two books in China, one you carried and moved around a lot and one you never saw, one you'd be able to move the other you wouldn't?"

"Exactly, but if you were to give me a live stream of that book, I could move it, because I can see it."

"You can't move anything if you're in the dark?" Tony asked.

"I have a sense of the objects around me. I can only compare it to how bat's uses echo location. A signal goes out and when it returns an image is produced, but it's more power full. I can feel everything in my range. Mostly I ignore it and only focus, when I need to, but if I try I can feel for miles, ever organ of every creature, every item of clothing, every object in a store."

"It sounds over whelming," Bruce said.

"Which is why I suppress it. If I can't feel and if I can't see, I can't use. There are only two things I can't move and can block me out, Adamantium and Vibranium."

"I'm going to have to work on building a safe out of it."

"Watch this," she said to Bruce.

She raised her hand at Tony and made him dance. She then made him smack himself in the face repeatedly.

"Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself?" She then picked him up and dropped him to the floor in a full split. She looked at Bruce. "I can't only move him physically. His thoughts are all his own. It's been speculated that I have the capacity for telepathic powers, but if I so I am unable to unlock them."

"Well maybe in time," Bruce said.

"Then I can really put Tony in his place." Without a single movement she made him drop into the split again.

"No gestures?"

"Kind of like training wheels. I don't need them, but… It's like math. It's easier to write a problem out and see it than to do it in your head."

"I get it. Now, go. I'm sure you've got more interesting things to do than sit around here. We'll do the other tests later."

"I actually enjoy the company. It's been a long while since, I've actually been able to talk to anyone, without putting them at risk or having to kill them later."


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be coming more regularly. It's actually finished on another website. It's just harder for me to copy it, but I hope to get it all posted soon.

_The restraints were metal. The table was metal. Hell even the walls were metal. They weren't just any metal though. They were Adamantium. Matilda couldn't see. She couldn't feel. She was trapped. Whoever had done this was smart. They must've been watching her for months. They'd manage to get past all of her defenses and knock her out cold. Then they took her, brought her to wherever the hell she was._

_She knew better than to struggle. She would only end up hurting herself and the time it took heal wasn't worth the failed attempts. She closed my eyes and reached out, but was met with nothing._

_A door creaked open. Then there was suddenly light. It blinded her. Then there was darkness. The next time she woke up, she was drowsy. There were people crowded around her, and she was hooked up to a system of tubed and needles._

" _Doctor, she is awake."_

_"Are her limbs restrained?" a man asked._

" _Yes."_

" _Then proceed."_

_She could feel the things around her. The restraints were Adamantium, but the latches holding them were not. She ripped all of the tubes from herself and sent them flying towards the doctors. The cart of equipment was useful. She used the cords on one of the machines to trip up one nurse, while using the other to strangle a different nurse. She broke the latches. One of the doctors pulled out a gun. He fired the bullet, but before it hit her, it was frozen in midair. It turned back towards him dangerously. She dropped it though and settled for slamming him against the wall. She tore out of the room, but was grabbed and cuffed. She couldn't feel or move these ones either. She tried to move them, but they were prepared. They had on mesh suits of Adamantium or maybe Vibranium. She couldn't feel it either. They threw her back in the first room. Then there was just pain._

….

Matilda shot out of bed with a start. Things around her were floating. She gently set them down. "Damn Stark for bringing Masquerade shit up," she muttered. She got out of bed and stretched. She wasn't used to this new form. During dinner, Bruce, Tony, Steve, Thor and Tilly had worked on creating a form to be her basic human one, instead of jumping around.

Steve had suggested that she'd be extremely feminine, which she shot down really fast. Tony thought she should be a bimbo. She had responded with a simple flick of her finger sending a fortune cookie into his face.

"Pepper is going to kill you, when she gets back from that conference," Clint said from the couch. He hadn't said much around Matilda. She just brushed it off. Assassins weren't known for being the most social.

They had finally managed to come to an agreement. She was tall, but not obnoxiously so. She was pretty, but not delicate. She was the perfect balance. Her hair was long and black, and she had dark olive skin. She was toned, but not overly so.

In order to shake off the memory, she slid on a pair of shoes, left her room and walked up to the main living area. Most of the lights were out, but the few that were lit perfectly illuminated the room just so that you could see without it being bright. She walked outside to the helicopter landing and looked out over the city. She barely even noticed the presence above her. She pulled a piece of concrete from the ground. Once it reached her, she stepped onto it and lifted it to the top. Once she was there, she set it down on the ground feeling for anyone in the way.

She saw the back facing her. "You can tell a lot about a person by their sleeping habits," she said. Clint turned around to face her.

"Really now?" he asked.

"Something's haunting you, either something you've done or something done to you." It was a fact that she had come to know well over the years.

He grunted. She sat down across from him.

"So Clint, you're the famous Hawkeye. Is this your nest?" she asked.

"I have a few nests," he said. He looked out at the city for a few moments in silence.

"It helps to talk. I know it sounds obnoxiously cliché and like a shrink, but it's true."

"Are you gonna tell me that you're a good listener next?"

"No, I was gonna tell you that I've sat through enough stupid bull shit that even if I'm not listening, it'll still be like I'm holding on to every word."

"That's reassuring," he said bitterly.

She laughed. "I kid. I kid, but I might be able to help you out a bit." She paused and was suddenly solemn. "I wish… I wish I could've had someone to talk to, someone to help me, someone to suck all of the poisonous thoughts out of my head. Things would be… better if I did. More people would have lived," she said quietly.

He picked up on it though and tilted his head, slightly.

"I was messed up there for a while. I repressed a lot of things. It affects every part of your life."

"You didn't have your body taken over by an evil demi god and forced to hurt people."

"There's the issue," she sighed. She wasn't sure how to approach this and she felt that it could possibly more than what she could try to help with, but she was happy to at least have him admit what was bothering him. "No surprisingly that hasn't happened yet." She ran a hand through her hair. "I haven't known you long," she said.

"You don't know me at all," he challenged.

"I know enough to know that you're a good person."

"How'd you draw that conclusion?" he asked.

"Anyone, who is this upset over hurting innocents, especially,  _when it's not their fault because they were being forced_ , has to be a good person."

He looked a little better, like the weight on his shoulders had been lessened enough that he could breathe. "How'd you get up here?" he asked.

"Rode a piece of concrete up like an elevator," she said.

"You fly?" he asked.

"No, I can make other things fly and I can ride on them."

He nodded.

"Wanna see?" I asked.

He lifted a brow.

"I've never really had anyone that I could show. I was always afraid."

"Of what?"

"There's a lot of money out there circulating around for my head. So do you wanna see New York from the sky or no?

"I've seen New York from the sky," he said.

"Not like this you haven't."

She closed my eyes and reached out. Initially the people and cars and buildings over whelmed her, but then she found something she could use.

"Who the hell in New York has a surfboard to throw away?" she asked.

"Surfboard?"

"Oh give me some credit. It's better than a damn piece of concrete," she said.

He smirked. "No brooms?"

"That's not funny. A damn broom got me tied to a fucking stake with fire at me feet." She wondered how many people were actually going to notice the surfboard floating towards Stark tower. She should've though about that, when she used the concrete, but oh well. She walked over to it and rather than stand sat on it, like surfers do, when they're waiting for a wave.

Clint just looked at her.

"I'm not joking. Get on."

He sighed and shook his head. He stood up grabbing his bow. She raised an eyebrow.

"It's how I got up here," he said. He sat behind her.

"Now if you fall off I can just lift you and set you down somewhere. If I fall off, I go splat. In turn you probably go splat, so just hang on so that I don't fall."

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "And we are a go."

With that they shot of the roof. Matilda was a bit of a speed demon, so they were really hauling ass through the sky.

"Could you go any faster?" Clint asked, sarcastically.

"Be careful what you ask for," she said with a smile. She sped even faster.

"Ah fuck!" he swore.

Tilda giggled with glee. "You've been in jets that go faster than this."

"Yes, IN jets, not on a garbage surfboard, not hanging onto the back of a- What are you?"

"We won't know for sure until Bruce gets the DNA results in, but we're leaning towards mutant. I was born, not made."

"Hanging on to the back of a mutant."

"You agreed to this," she pointed out, turning her head to look at him.

"Can you keep your eyes on the sky?"

"Is little Hawkeye afraid?

"A little sketched out," he said.

Her peels of laughter filled his ears. It sounded like silver bells to him.

"Hold on tight, bank turn."

His grip tightened. She turned and they were out over the harbor. "I know I said tight, but can we try not to break my ribs? That'll take forever to heal."

He loosed his grip a bit. She went over to the Statue of Liberty and hopped off onto her torch. Clint quickly followed. "This is better," he said. They gazed out at the New York skyline.

"Seen a lot of views, but this is one of the best."

"You said, when a person can't sleep something's haunting them. What's haunting you?" Clint asked. Matilda had just been so care free and so giddy, what could have possibly been haunting her that she woke up?

A wry smile graced her lips. "Experiments done on me in the 80s or at least that's what's haunting me tonight. Other nights it's things that I've done, things I didn't do. It's all one giant cluster fuck in my head." She shook her head as if it would clear the thoughts.

"If it helps, I'll listen," he said.

She sent him a grateful smile. "Here, I've got an idea. We'll go get a ton of real junk food, not that nasty fancy shit that Tony has and we'll play twenty questions back at the tower."

"I don't have any cash of me."

She took off her shoe and pulled two one-hundred dollar bills from it. "I've always got cash. There's no real rhyme or reason to anything I do, so I have to be prepared for something to happen."

He shook his head. "Let's go."


	6. Chapter Five

Pepper walked from the elevator towards the kitchen to get something to drink before heading to the room she shared with Tony. She had just returned from a conference in Toronto and was tired. She'd been up for hours and it was only 6:30 A.M.

She got a glass of water and downed it. She was just about to turn to go to bed, when she heard the faintest sound coming from the living room. She walked in and found a girl that she had yet to meet sleeping on the couch. She assumed it was the new member of the team Tony had been telling her about. Clint was in a sitting position on the floor leaning against the couch asleep.

There were containers of candy, ice cream, Chinese food and bags of various chips and stuff littered about.

Pepper sighed and nudged Clint. He woke up and glared. "What?"

"You're gonna hurt your back and this mess needs to get cleaned up later," she said.

"Tilly and I will handle it later," he said.

"Tilly?"

He jerked a thumb back towards Matilda, accidently hitting her in the back, waking her up. She let out a groan and sat up. She noticed the blonde woman looking at her.

"You must be Pepper," Matilda said. She stuck her hand out for Pepper to shake. "Matilda Knight."

Pepper shook it. "You're the one, who made Tony dance?"

"Yep." Tilda looked around and shook her head. "Sorry about the mess," she said. She began to clean it up, not moving from her spot on the couch. The items moved slowly and wobbly a clear indication of Matilda's fatigue. A few moments later the room was clean.

Pepper watched on impressed. Not only did this woman contribute to the team, she also had the decency to clean up after herself and she kept Tony in line. "I think you and I are going to get along just fine," Pepper said.

"Awesome," Matilda said.

"You should go to bed. I'll have JARVIS get one of the guys to get Clint. Steve will be waking up soon anyways."

"I got him." Matilda looked down at Clint and smacked him the head repeatedly until he stirred.

"What?" he growled.

"Get up."

"I don't wanna," he whined.

"Get. Up." She left no room for argument in her tone, despite the tiredness tainting it.

"No."

"Either you move or I move you," she threatened.

"Do it," he challenged, not thinking she would actually do it.

She sighed and stood up. She put her hand out flat towards him. She made a fist and lifted him up on his feet. She held him a few inches off of the ground and started walking towards the elevator.

Clint fell right back asleep.

"They normally don't do that," Matilda said. She waved good-bye to Pepper, who watched her leave with a small smile playing on her lips.

Pepper walked into her room and changed, before crawling into bed beside Tony. He shifted and wrapped an arm around Pepper's waist. She snuggled closer to him.

"You weren't supposed to be back until later," Tony said.

"Caught an earlier flight," she said, "Met the new girl."

"Incubus?"

"Huh?"

"Matilda? Whatever."

"Yeah. She seems nice."

"She's evil."

"Well she didn't seem so to me, curled up on the couch. Apparently she and Clint had a late night pig out."

This peaked Tony's interested, but instead of investigating, he just fell back asleep with Pepper in his arms.

•••

At 9:30 A.M, Natasha was in the training room, waiting on Clint. She had already done her warm ups and solo exercises. Now all she was waiting on was her sparring partner. She waited for about twenty minutes, before turning to JARVIS for help.

"JARVIS, where is Clint?" she asked.

"Mr. Barton is still in bed. He was up late last night with Ms. Knight," JARVIS replied.

Natasha rolled her eyes. ' _We get a new girl and he's slacking. Figures,_ ' she thought. She decided to head to the shooting range and practice since Clint wasn't there. That bored her after a while and she left the training area and took the steps up to the guys' floor. She tested the knob. It wasn't locked.

She carefully walked over and before she could touch him, her wrists were pinned down. When Clint realized, who it was he let go. "What?" he grunted.

"You were supposed to be down in the training center an hour ago," she said.

"Tired," he said, "Matilda and I went flying around New York on a surfboard then bought a ton of food and watched terminator movies until 4:30."

"Just go back to sleep," Natasha said. She assumed Clint's story was just his tiredness. She knew he had not been sleeping well, the mental effects of the battle Loki were lasting far longer than the physical ones. She didn't know what to do. She was an assassin, a spy. She was trained to manipulate the mind, not heal it.

•••

Matilda hadn't been exactly sure how her lessons were going to work. She knew what she had to teach, which was pretty much everything. She wasn't sure exactly how to work it all in together. She saw it in her mind as two separate things. She had to teach the academic courses, math, reading, English and social studies, but she also had to teach other lessons, made to teach the two men how to function in modern society.

….

_It was in the middle of T2 that she brought her notebook to her and started jotting down what she needed to do._

_About half way through, she slammed the notebook down on her lap and swore._

_Clint looked up from his orange chicken. "What?"_

" _Can't keep squeezing by with basic question and answer lessons. It's been a week. I need to do something substantial," she had said._

_Clint grabbed her note book and looked at what she had in mind. He scribbled on it for a few moments with Matilda watching over his shoulder. She was pleasantly surprised, when he began to work out some of her issues, by filling in training times and habits. He filled out the schedule and handed it back._

_She read it over. His writing was terrible. "Maybe you should join the lessons. I'll teach you how to write," she said._

" _I'm paid to shoot, not write," he said._

_She laughed and stole a piece of his chicken. He swatted at her, but she merely removed her hand from the equation and used her mind._

…

"I have finally figured out what the hell I am going to do."

Steve and Thor looked up at her.

"Starting next week since it's Thursday. Mondays and Wednesdays, we work on your technology, math, government and history skills."

"Government?" Steve asked.

"Yes, it's more or less how to deal with clearance levels, S.H.I.E.L.D. and such. Actual Civics will be in history."

He nodded.

Tuesdays and Thursdays we're gonna work on more liberal things, the arts, lit, pop culture, today's society, and your behavior. You'll be able to fit in with society, but you will have manners, and when needed and have proper etiquette. Anything else we need will be thrown in too, but that's what we have Friday for. Friday is tech, behavior, society and either we quit there or it's two random things I choose. Weekends are off."

"Shall we commence now?" Thor asked.

"Yes, we shall so we're gonna work on slang," she said before diving into her lesson.

•••

Pepper was still sleeping, when Tony woke up. He got out of bed and got dressed before grabbing a touch pad and heading down to his half of the lab. He decided to look into what Pepper had said. "JARVIS bring up the security footage from last night."

He watched the video as he walked towards the lab. He entered and sat down staring at the touch pad. He moved the images to one of the larger screens in the room. He fast forwarded until h saw Clint. Clint walked outside, shot one of his arrows and climbed up the attached rope. He fast-forwarded, until he saw Matilda walked out. She stood on the heli landing, before raising her arms up and bringing a piece something up to her. He focused in on it. "Concrete?" He watched her step on and ride off on it. The next time he saw them, it was when they walked into the lobby and got in the elevator. They went into the living room.

"What are you watching?" Bruce asked.

They started eating and watching movies before they passed out.

"Is that Tilda and Clint?"

"Tilda?" Tony asked.

"She prefers her name shortened. Plus, I don't try to call her a soul sucking monster."

"Seems like we have a pair of insomniacs."

"And? Bruce asked.

"Oh nothing," Tony said with false innocence.

"Whatever you're thinking, don't."


	7. Chapter Six

Matilda was sitting in the training center. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing a pair of black yoga shorts, a red sports bra, black socks that went up to her knee with red stripes at the top, and red Nike trainers. She currently had a pleasant smile on her face. She was listening to Journey humming along to her personal favorite, "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)."

Her eyes were closed and she was only ignoring the sense of anything around her. She was almost normal in that moment. Almost.

Natasha had seen Matilda in the training room and decided it was time to test the much older woman's fighting abilities. She crept over to Matilda, before sending a well-placed kick towards her. Matilda grabbed the Widow's leg and twisted it knocking her down. Natasha, went to kick with her other leg, but Matilda had let go of the first leg and rolled out of the way, then stood up, before walking over to Natasha and extending a hand.

Natasha eyed it warily.

"I don't fight, if I can avoid it. I fight enough with reason that and prefer not to do so without one," Matilda said.

Natasha ignored the out stretched hand and got up before walking off to the shooting range.

Matilda heard a low whistle come from the door way. She looked over and saw Clint standing there. "Not often she gets a match, and it's even less often she doesn't keep fighting."

There had been a few more late night meetings between the two insomniacs, since their first. They had in those meetings begun to develop a friendship. They began to confide some of the things that they regretted and things that scared them. It was new and weird to both of them, opening up to someone. Matilda managed to talk Clint into it and that usually involved her admitting something about herself. There were also the little things. Clint knew that Matilda's favorite color was blue, and she knew that his was purple. They also talked more when hanging around the tower with the others. He at one point had stopped in and helped with one of her lessons.

"She probably thinks that I'm cheating," Matilda said settling down onto the floor again. This time she laid down on her back and stared up. She clamped down on her extra sense and let out a breath. It was difficult for her. Ignoring it was simple. All she had to do was let her mind wander. It took the back burner automatically. It was still there though and could flare at any moment. To block it out, that was something completely different. She could only compare it to trying to hold back a door with a room full of water on the other side. The pressure was incredible and there were always things slipping through the crack, but she was trying her hardest to seal them.

It took all of her focus, which wasn't much to begin with. Her goal was to be able to turn it off at will and continue to function. She couldn't even turn it off completely.

She felt like her mind was being attacked from all sides. Everyone she fended off, there was another somewhere else. By the time the dam in her head had broken and her extra sense flooded her with every single object with in her range, which was much more than usual since New York was so crowded, she was dripping sweat. Her pupils narrowed to slits and her naturally silver irises formed a dark silver band around them. The rest of her eyes were white. Her roots turned white as did patches of her skin. She became so over whelmed that she did something she hadn't done in years. She passed out.

Tony was doing his routine stalking of the security cams, when he noticed Matilda collapse to the ground. "JARVIS, get Bruce on the intercom."

"Yes sir."

"What Tony?" Bruce asked sounding irritated. "I'm busy."

Tony had seen Bruce sleeping in his chair just a few moments prior. "Sure looked , but anyways, you might want to check on our resident soul sucker."

"Why? And can't you just once call her Matilda?"

"Because I think she's passed out in the training center and no."

"What do you mean passed out?"

"I mean I'm watching the security feeds and she started to change colors, her eyes changed before rolling back in her head and then she hit the ground. She better not have gotten blood on my floors. "

Bruce rolled his eyes at Tony. "JARVIS bring up a video feed of Matilda." When he saw that Tony wasn't ling like he had expected, he instantly shot up and ran to the training room.

•••

When Matilda woke up she was met with blinding light. She instantly raised a hand and used it hit the switch turning it off. "Fuck!" she swore a little too loudly for her own ears. She opened her eyes again. She was in the part of Bruce's lab that was treated as a medical center. She was hooked up to an IV and had electrodes hooked up to her head. She moved them off and pulled out the IV before pulling over a piece of gauze. Once it was close she pressed it to the spot, where she'd pulled the IV from.

Clint had been sitting in the room the entire time. He quietly made his way over and nudged her hand out of the way, holding the gauze. She glanced up at him.

"I now remember why I never try that shit by myself," she said. As soon as her arm stopped bleeding, Clint lifted the now bloody material. By the Matilda had already found a Band-Aid and stuck it over the tiny dot of blood that remained.

"What the hell did you do?" Clint asked her.

Clint had carried her down to the medical corner of Bruce's lab and stayed. Once Bruce had determined that Matilda wasn't seriously injured, just unconscious, Clint had left, showered gotten dressed and returned with a book, a water bottle and a sandwich. He hadn't left since.

"I tried to block out my other sense, when it came crashing back it over loaded my mind and I passed out. I'm a terribly stupid arse really. How long have I been out?"

Clint raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in her words. She had gone from sounding as American as apple pie to British in a second. He was used to Natasha slipping into Russian. He expected it from her. Matilda not so much.

Matilda hadn't realized her change. "What?"

"From American to a Brit?"

"Oh. Well I am British. I moved here in about 1860 something."

"You've been out for about fifteen hours," he answered her question now remembering from her file that she was born in London.

"Not bad," she said.

The last time she'd knocked herself out, she was out cold for three days.

The lab was cold and Matilda was freezing. Matilda was a mammal and the forth warm blooded, but her body had issues maintaining homeostasis. One she got hot, it took forever to cool down and vice versa. She pulled the blanket closer around her. "What'd I miss?" she asked Clint.

"Tony started talking about you and sunlight. Natasha smacked him. Thor left to see Jane. I guess she and Darcy are coming back here with him. Cap's been in the gym, destroying punching bags. Bruce was monitoring you're brain functions as I he were watching the best movie ever until I kicked him out to go eat. Pepper's been in her office working."

Matilda nodded. "What are you reading?" she asked noting the book near his chair.

She lifted it up not waiting for a response looked at the cover and smiled. " _To Kill a Mocking Bird._  'I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do,'" she quoted.

"I see you're a fan."

"Yeah. My one true literary love is Shakespeare." She went through Juliet's monologue with no issue.

"Tis but thy name that is my enemy;  
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.  
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,  
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part  
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!

What's in a name? That which we call a rose  
By any other name would smell as sweet;  
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,  
Retain that dear perfection which he owes  
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,  
And for that name which is no part of thee  
Take all myself"

Clint was mesmerized. He'd read _Romeo & Juliet,_ and he'd seen it multiple times, but never once has it sounded so real to him as it did coming from her mouth. "You're very good," he said.

"Hidden talent," she said, curling up into a tighter ball in an attempt to get warm.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Fucking freezing," came her response.

Clint walked over to the edge of the bed. "Move over," he said. She scooted over and he laid down beside her. He put an arm around her shoulders, and she curled into his side, basking in his warmth.

"So what's one of your hidden talents?" Matilda asked. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Despite being knocked out for hours, she was still tired.

"I sing," he answered, "not too many people know that."

His voice rumbled in his chest under her ear.

"Really? Can I hear?" she asked.

He remained quiet. The only sound she heard was his breathing.

"Oh come on! I did a monologue."

Nothing.

"Just a few lines?"

Still silence.

"You may be a sniper and you may think you know patience, but I am 202 years old. I can outwait you. I also know many methods of torture and pissing even the most patient people the hell off."

He sighed. "You're not gonna let this go are you?"

"Not at all," she said.

"Fine. You win," he said.'

" _Just a small town girl_

_Living in a lonely world_

_She took the midnight train going anywhere_ "

Matilda smiled at his singing voice and song choice.

" _Just a city boy_

_Born and raised in south Detroit_

_He took the midnight train going anywhere_ "

He stopped. "That's all you're getting."

"But your voice is amazing," she argued.

"Are you warm yet?" he asked.

"No," she answered. She slid her cold hands up his shirt onto his bare stomach to prove her point. "What time is it?" she asked.

"12:30," he answered, "Go to sleep."

She moved her left hand and started running it through his hair. After a minute he melted into it. "All guys fall for the head scratches."

He hummed in response. His eyes fluttering shut. He began to sing again, just loud enough that Matilda could hear him.

" _A singer in a smoky room_  
A smell of wine and cheap perfume  
For a smile they can share the night  
It goes on and on and on and on

_Strangers waiting_  
_Up and down the boulevard_  
_Their shadows searching_  
_In the night_  
_Streetlights, people_  
_Livin' just to find emotion_  
_Hidin', somewhere in the night_

_Workin' hard to get my fill_  
_Everybody wants a thrill_  
_Payin' anything to roll the dice_  
_Just one more time_  
_Some will win_  
_Some will lose_  
_Some were born to sing the blues_  
_Oh, the movie never ends_  
_It goes on and on and on and on_

_Strangers waiting_  
_Up and down the boulevard_  
_Their shadows searching_  
_In the night_  
_Streetlights, people_  
_Livin' just to find emotion_  
_Hidin', somewhere in the night_

_Don't stop believin'_  
_Hold on to the feelin'_  
_Streetlights, people_  
_Don't stop believin'_  
_Hold on_  
_Streetlights, people_ "

He soon fell asleep. Not too long after, so did Matilda.


	8. Chapter Seven

"Isn't this just a cozy scene?" Tony said when he walked in and saw Matilda and Clint asleep. Clint stirred and cracked an eye open, before flipping Tony off.

"Cool it Bird boy. I come in peace?"

"Do you come in shut the fuck up?" he asked.

"No, I come in sarcastic, genius, nar-"

In a flash Matilda's hand was up, and Tony had been slammed against the wall. "If you do not shut the hell up, I will pull your insides out through your skin," Matilda threatened groggily. She dropped him.

"Cap's looking for you," he said as he got up.

"Tell him, I'll see him a bit," she said.

"Fine, JARVIS-"

"Do it somewhere else," she growled.

Clint chuckled and rested his head on hers.

"Sleep now, laugh later," she said.

"Fine by me."

When Clint had woken up, Matilda was no longer next to him. In fact she was sitting on top of a desk with electrodes hooked up to her head moving various objects both with her mind and normally. He left for his room. On the way he ran into Natasha.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Walking," he responded, knowing that wasn't what she meant.

"We cannot trust her. She's a risk, a threat."

"So were you once," Clint said.

That struck a nerve in the red head.

"What if-"

"If she were to cross us, which I don't think will happen, then we take her out. It's as simple as that." Clint's tone was cool, but underneath he was seething. He understood where Natasha was coming from, but the accusations of Matilda being a threat burned his ass.

That seemed to appease Natasha somewhat although not much.

"You should really distance yourself from her, let Steve or Thor get closer, someone, who absolutely needs the interaction."

"She does."

"What?"

"She's spent years not getting close to anyone, running, hiding, not trusting, just like you. She craves the interaction and if I'm the one to give it to her, I don't see it as that big of a deal. Everyone needs a friend."

Natasha huffed and walked off. He was her partner, but he was no good to her compromised. He hadn't been controlled this time. This was all him. She couldn't save him from himself.

Matilda had finished Bruce's tests without issue. After she was done, she went to her room and changed before heading to the training room. Once she was there, she started off running before getting to the good stuff. She had JARVIS create a simulation specifically designed to meet her training needs. It was more or less an obstacle course designed for her to attempt to get out of without her gift.

She'd just made it through her second run of the simulations, when Natasha walked in. "You don't like to fight, but when about when you have to? What do you do then?" she asked.

"Then I fight," Matilda answered simply.

"Like when you're attacked." Natasha went to kick the older woman. Matilda bent backwards and ducked the foot. She shot back up and grabbed the Widow's barm, before her fist could hit her in the face. Natasha moved to send her foot into Matilda's stomach, But Matilda flipped Natasha over onto her back. Natasha jumped up and quickly twisted Matilda's arm around her back.

Matilda twisted out of it, reversing the move. Natasha head butted the brunette woman. Matilda heard a crunch and put a hand to her nose and saw blood. "That's gonna take forever to heal," she said. She glared up at Natasha, who had stopped her assult, feeling that she had made a point, and lifted her up five feet off of the ground. Natasha was unable to move. She could still hear, still see, still think. Her thoughts were still her own and at this moment they were very unpleasant.

"Listen, I know you don't trust me. Honestly I don't expect you to, you're a spy and I'm some random girl, who just waltzed into your team, that's already a volatile mix to begin with, but this isn't that. I know it isn't. If you have an issue then try speaking to me before attacking me. Now if you need me, I'll be icing my nose. Don't attack me again, because I promise, next time you'll regret it."

Matilda dropped Natasha and walked off. She pulled her tank over her head leaving her in her sports bra and held it to her nose.

"What the hell happened to you?" Tony asked as she walked past.

"Natasha,"`she answered.

"Spidey's got a bite," he said.

"Blow me," Tilda said as she continued walking. She set her own nose, before grabbing ice from the kitchen. She set it on her face and laid down on the couch.

"Steve walked in and found her like that and was instantly flustered at the amount of skin exposed.

"Oh quit blushing, there are girls who walk around wearing a lot less. You've got to get used to it, especially, when we go somewhere warm."

"Ms. Knight, Director Fury is on the line for you."

Matilda beckoned over a phone. "What?" she answered tersely.

"Matilda, we've got a problem that we believe you can help us with."

"Send the Widow," she said.

"It's a retrieval mission."

"Send the Widow."

"It would be best if we could retrieve the item without a lot of agents-"

"Send. The. Widow."

"Y-"

"LISTEN FURY, I AM HERE TO TEACH NOT GO ON MISSIONS ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE PERFECTALLY CAPABLE AGENTS LIKE THE ONE THAT JUST BROKE MY DAMN NOSE, SO FUCKING USE THEM, BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING!"

Steve watched as her pupils changed and things began to randomly float around them. He noted that Bruce wasn't the only one with a temper issue.

"What are you looking at?" she snipped at Steve.

He raised his hands in surrender. "Just your eyes are different."

"What?" she asked.

"They look different. Bruce said, when he checked you out in the lab after you passed out they were weird and your skin was turning white."

Maitlda looked at Steve. "Are you on drugs?" she asked. Not once in her life had she ever seen or thought about her skin turning white. Her eyes changed all of the time and she was known to have moments, where her shifts could get caught and she would awkwardly be caught in the middle of them. That's just what she assumed happened.

He walked over to the wall grabbed the large mirror from it and held it over her. She looked at her reflection and her eyes widened with shock. "Holy shit!" she swore.

She stared hard into mirror. She went to change her eyes, but nothing happened. Rather than start to panic, she calmed herself down. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. When she looked back up at the mirror her eyes were back to the chocolate brown of her current appearance.

Steve hung the mirror back up. "What do you think that was?" he asked.

"Just an accidental switch. It happens from time to time." ' _At least I hope so,_ ' she thought. She placed the ice back on her nose and focused. She looked asleep on the outside, but internally she was rifling through every transformation she could remember trying to find something that looked remotely close to what she had just seen.


	9. Chapter Eight

"Where are you going, looking so beautiful and debonair?" Tony asked, as Clint and Matilda walked towards the elevator.

Matilda had switched to a fair girl with jet black hair that she put into a bun and dark eyes that she framed with thick lashes and a little golden eyes shadow. She had on a long gown that was a pale shade of purple. It was one shoulder and the bodice was pleated with a dropped wait. The bottom was dramatic and flared out with petals. Her jewelry was silver and her shoes and clutch were white with jeweled details.

Clint was in a grey tux with a tie that matched her dress.

Neither of the two looked pleased.

"Oh my god you look so pretty," Pepper gushed over Matilda.

"Thank you, Pepper."

"We've got a mission," Clint said, "and it involves a damn monkey suit."

"I told Fury I wasn't gonna do this crap," Matilda said. ' _But since someone can't apparently go on a simple retrieval mission, I have to,_ ' she thought.

The elevator reached them then. "Let's go," Matilda growled. Clint followed her and they rode down to the lowest level of the tower. She gaped at Tony's fleet of amazing cars. "I know he's rich, but my god," she said.

"Lady's choice?"

"Audi R8 ," she said, as soon as she saw the car. "We're playing rich, better act the part."

Clint grabbed the keys and they were off. They made it to the hotel, where the gala they were attending was being held. They snuck in a back door and up to the room that S.H.I.E.L.D. was using as its temporary headquarters. They'd been given a file the night prior. They were going after Brent Harper a former S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist. Matilda had barely glanced at the thing. She was only interested in what she needed. There were a few shots of him and of the case she was supposed to move.

She stood near the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Brent Harper is a former S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist. He went rogue though and has begun developing biological weapons for every kind of terrorist organization you can think of. He's got a brief case and inside is an enzyme that will give his latest weapon a virus with the potential to wipe out half of the planet the boost it needs to begin production.

"Biological weapon of mass destruction. Oh joy," she muttered. Then she thought for a moment. "And he keeps it with him? Only a moron would do that. Why isn't it in rotation? The best bet to keep it safe is to keep it moving."

"Romanov took a team including two other agents. It was supposed to be simple, but they were found out. He got shook, started carrying it around with him. He's got a whole crew of guards. We want both him and the enzyme. That's where you come in. You use your abilities to get the case and then Clint gets Harper."

"Sounds too easy." Matilda perched against a counter hand put a hand on her chin. Her brow furrowed in concentration. Something was off. She knew that much, but she couldn't completely figure out what.

Clint had the same inkling as Matilda. Too easy and nothing was ever easy in his field. She looked up at him and she gave him a slight nod. They were gonna go, but we ready for the worst. Matilda had never been on a mission with Clint, but yet she knew exactly what signals to send. Just the slightest of nods conveyed entire conversations. There was only one other person that Clint could do that with, Natasha. Even then that had taken years of field work. Everything just came naturally with Matilda.

"Alright, we've got it," she said.

Fury handed her and Clint their invitations. "You're Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman, Cindy and Mark. You run a tire company that makes billions in sales every year. Now go."

Matilda and Clint walked back to the car.

"On a scale of we look like jackasses to train wreck, how do you think this is gonna go?" she asked.

"Trainwreck saved by jackasses," Clint said. He slid his ear piece in and she did the same.

She nodded and as they pulled up in front of the hotel, a happy loving smile formed on her face. "Ready to go honey?" she asked slipping into character.

"Yes dear," Clint said.

They got out of the car and Clint there the keys to the valet. "Don't' hurt her, but make sure she has a little fun." Clint slipped a fifty into the valet's pocket. It was good for Matilda to see what Clint was going for and how to play off of it. The two met up right in front of the door and walked like the perfect couple to the ball room. They got in and instantly spotted Harper from the file they'd been given. It hadn't said much just gave a general description of him. He was sitting on a platform in the front of the room with a bunch of other people, who had contributed to the evening's affairs.

They went about and mingled until they were close to the platform off to the side.

"Can you feel it?" Clint asked.

"Maybe. There's too many people, too much commotion. I need to focus."

"Then focus."

"Because I never thought of that," she scoffed, "I can't focus if I'm looking at something. The sense works best when my eyes are closed it's like turning off all of the faucets in a house to increase the water pressure to one."

"What do I have to do?" he asked.

"Kiss me," she said.

He didn't hesitate. He kissed her. She barely kissed back, closing her eyes and placing her hands on his chest. With a sudden burst of clarity, she felt the case by Harper's feet, a hard plastic. Then there was something that she couldn't feel. It was a blind spot, and it was moving. She broke the kiss.

"They're moving the enzyme. They're doing it now. Harper's case is plastic. It's a decoy. There's something though that I can't feel. It's a blind spot. It's either adamantium or vibranium the two strongest alloys on Earth. I can't move them. I can't feel them. We're gonna have to split, because the second we touch one the other is gonna flee."

"I'll get the case. You get Harper." Before she could object Clint was walking away.

"Stairwell at the end of the hall on the second floor and heading up," she made a woman say. It used to be difficult for Matilda to manipulate vocal chords, but she had practiced it quite a bit, and it was now one of the easiest things she could do.

Matilda, knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused in on Harper. She felt his tissues, his heart beating, his lungs inflating and deflating with every breath and his stomach churning slightly. That was her target. She made his stomach move. A few moments later, he was running to the bathroom. She exited the ball room and headed towards the bathroom. She walked in after him. There was no one there aside from him. She pulled his phone and ear piece off and held them in the air. He turned from the toilet to look. "You've managed to screw up my no mission clause," she said.

"You'll-"

She held his vocal chords still. "Oh shut up you imibicile. I don't have time for your nonsense," she said. She stood him up and made him walk. Matilda pressed the button on her ear piece. "Fury, he'll be walking in the main lobby. I'm gonna assist Barton."

Harper walked into the lobby of the hotel and was met with multiple agents with hidden fire arms.

Matilda went to find Clint. He and the guy with the case were on the twentieth floor, and from what she could sense that Clint was fending off multiple well trained attackers. They were going down of course, but it seemed more and more kept appearing. The blind spot was moving. She focussed on the guy holding the case and moved him, slamming him up against the wall. She found his weapon and aimed it at him ready to pull the trigger. The blind spot was still. She did the same to the guys fighting Clint. They were up against the wall staring into the barrels of their own weapons. She continued to focus on the men. Once she could see them it would be easier. She moved a little slower than she would've liked, which is exactly why the back of her dress got caught in the elevator door.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered. She just ripped the flared bottom off of the dress continued on. She saw Clint fighting to remove the case from the guy's hand. She let him release it. Clint picked it up before taking notice of her.

"Nice dress," Clint commented, grabbing the case off of the ground.

"Nice face," she responded. Clint was bleeding from his mouth and his eye was beginning to swell.

"You weren't say anything earlier," he teased.

"Keep playing and I'll aim one of these at you," she threatened, waving one of the guns.

"You still got your ear piece?" he asked.

She took it out and handed it to him.

He spoke to Fury, and a little while later, S.H.I.L.E.D. agents were escorting the morons out of the building.

Matilda and Clint spent hours in debriefing before returning back to the tower. She sat down on the couch and brought over her cigarettes a lighter and an ash tray. Clint walked in, took off his jacket, shoes and tie, and un did the first few buttons on his shirt. He then grabbed a beer and laid down on the couch laying his head on her lap. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

She lit her cigarette and stuck it in her mouth. She waved over a towel filled with ice and gently pressed it to Clint's face. He plucked her cigarette from her mouth, and put it in his, taking a long drag.

She raised her eyes although he could not see it.

"So how in the hell did you end up letting the case continue to move like a damn amature?"

"Are we really gonna go over this?"

"You had a gun."

"Got tossed."

"You could've grabbed the case."

"And gotten shot."

"I told you it was either vibranium or adamantium. They're bullet proof, could've used it as a shield."

"I'm not Steve," he said.

"No, Steve wouldn't have taken my damn cig."

"Boo hoo."

She went to grab it, but he moved it as far away as possible.

She had three options. She could've reached and grabbed in in the process smothering him with her chest. She could've just as easily used her gift to get it. Then she could've just gotten a new one.

"Ya know, I could just snap my fingers and have it back in my hand?"

"You could've gotten a new one, but you're not going to." He opened his eyes to look at her. His eyes held a hint of playfulness and cockiness. Matilda found it extremely sexy.

"You're right," she said. He took another drag. She tilted her head down until her lips were barely touching his. She knew she was being bold, but she was confident. As he exhaled, she inhaled, before leaning back and blowing the smoke out.

Clint wasn't expecting her to go and inhale the smoke from his lungs, but he wasn't surprised. From the time he'd spent with her, he'd pretty much come to expect the unexpected.

Matilda plucked the cigarette from his hand and finished it off. She began to run her hand through his hair. He a content sigh. She cracked open his beer and took a swig.

"How the hell are you so comfy?" he asked her.

She chuckled. "I don't know."

She shifted back to her normal form. Clint was asleep on her lap. She fell asleep soon after.

…

" _You have so much potential, so much power, yet you waste it. Why?"_

…

Matilda woke up with a gasp and a cold sweat. Clint was sitting across from her looking at her worriedly. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "That was creepy," she said.

"What?" Clint asked.

"Damn creepy voices."

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch. Clint rose up and stretched for a moment, before picking her up and carrying her to her room. He set her down on her bed, but she didn't let go. "Nah, you're staying with me," she said.

"At least, go let me change," he said laughing a bit. He was honestly concerned though.

Clint walked to his room. He opened the door and was surprised to see Natasha asleep in his bed, her arm bandaged. He nudged her. "Nat, Natasha, Nattie." She woke up and instantly reached to punch him. He dodged it.

"Sorry," she said, "How'd your mission go?"

"Awry, but Matilda pretty much handled it."

Natasha nodded. "Why do you trust her?" she asked

"What is your problem?" he asked her.

"My problem is that there are very few people that people like us can trust. I put my trust in you and you're putting it in her. Do you know how stu-"

"Natasha, I'm not betraying your trust. You have to see that. I've still got your back, but I've also got hers."

"You're falling for her," Natasha said, as realization dawned on her, "You're falling in love with her. She's compromised you." With that Natasha shot up and practically ran back to her room. Clint had been compromised by an elderly woman playing a childish game.


	10. Chapter Nine

"My brothers and sisters in vengeance, I have returned with my lady Jane and her friend Lady Darcy!" Thor declared walking into the main living area of the tower.

"Thor! Welcome home!" Matilda screamed her words slurring slightly. She laughed, which ended in a hiccup, which ended up in more laughter.

"Chica there is totes wasted," Darcy said.

"What do you mean by wasted? Lady Matilda has not been put to waste," Thor asked.

"She's drunk," Jane explained.

"So is he," Bruce said. He pointed to where Tony was failing epically at rock band.

"They started off playing battle shots," Pepper said. "Jarvis?" she called.

"Yes Ms. Potts."

"Do not allow him to get in the suit."

"Yes Ms. Potts. Shall I do anything about Ms. Knight?"

Pepper sighed. "I don't know what we can do."

"I got her Pep," Clint said watching Matilda carefully. She was sitting on the couch laughing at Tony.

Tony finally gave up. "Whatever."

"Rock band sucks shit," Matilda said taking another swig from the bottle of tequila in her hand.

"Well you can come and sit down and watch the train wreck," Pepper said.

Matilda looked over at Jane and Darcy. She raised her bottled hand up in a drunken wave. "Hi. I'm Matilda, but you can call me Tilly or Tilda. I move shit with my mind."

"We've heard," Jane said, moving closer to Thor.

Tony had randomly started singing loudly and off key.

" _Livin' easy_  
Lovin' free  
Season ticket on a one way ride  
Askin' nothin'  
Leave me be  
Takin' everythin' in my stride  
Don't need reason  
Don't need rhyme  
Ain't nothin' that I'd r-"

"Shut the hell up!" Matilda yelled punching him in the arm.

"You're just jealous of my incredible voice."

"Like hell I am."

"You can sing better?" Bruce asked.

"Stop instigating," Steve scolded.

"I'm not instigating," Bruce replied with false innocence.

"You've been hanging around Tony too long," Clint said.

"That's his broski. Oh JARVIS!" Matilda called in a sing song voice.

"Yes Ms. Knight"

"Find me an instrumental version of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and play it." She stood up in her too high heels and wobbled for a second before regaining her balance.

"She was dressed like that before she got drunk," Steve explained.

The song started and Matilda smirked before singing.

" _Step inside, walk this way  
You and me babe, hey hey!_

 _Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on_  
 _Livin' like a lover with a radar phone_  
 _Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp_  
 _Demolition man, can I be your woman?_  
 _(Your woman, hey, hey!)_ "

She was dancing and spinning round. She brought a bottle of champagne to her hand.

" _Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light_  
Television lover, baby, go all night  
Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet  
Little sir innocent sugar me, yeah"

She removed the cork from the bottle and poured a little on Tony who passed out next to the couch.

" _Come on! Take a bottle, shake it up  
Break the bubble, break it up_"

She pulled off her jacket and swung it over her head, her hips swaying as her voice rang out through the main room.

" _Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love_  
Pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up  
Pour your sugar on me, I can't get enough  
I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet, yeah"

She poured some of the champagne into her mouth.

" _Listen, red light, yellow light, green light, go_  
Crazy little man in a one woman show  
Mirror king, mannequin, rhythm of love  
She walked over to Clint.

" _Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up_

 _I loosen up_ "

He held still watching on with what looked like mild curiosity. Part of him found her drunken antics funny. Another part found her obnoxiously attractive, and the way she was dancing near him and using him as a prop only made it worse. He never figured that she would be the flirty drunk.

" _You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little, tease a little more  
Easy operator come a-knockin' on my door_

 _Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet_  
Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah yeah  
Give a little more"

Bruce was in hysterics as was Darcy. Pepper was face palming. Jane was weirded out. Thor was confused and Eric had left before he could actually see the train wreck.

" _Take a bottle, shake it up_  
Break the bubble, break it up  
Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love  
Pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up  
Pour your sugar on me, oh, I can't get enough  
I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet, yeah

 _You got the peaches, I got the cream_  
Sweet to taste, saccharine  
'Cause I'm hot, so hot, sticky sweet

_From my head, my head to my feet  
Do you take sugar, one lump or two?_

_Take a bottle, take a bottle_  
Shake it up, shake it up  
Break the bubble, break it up  
Break it up  
Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love  
Pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up  
Pour your sugar on me, oh, I can't get enough  
Pour some sugar on me, oh, in the name of love  
Pour some sugar on me, get it, come get it  
Pour your sugar on me, ooh  
Pour some sugar on me, yeah  
Sugar me"

"Are you done?" Clint asked.

She just sort of fell on to him. "Steve, get Tony to his and Pepper's bathroom. Bruce shut the hell up. Thor go take Jane on a date or something. Darcy you shut the hell up too. Pepper, take care of Tony." Clint picked Matilda up and carried her to her room.

"Sam would kill me," Matilda said as Clint walked.

"She almost did when went and saw Poison. I made a huge ass out of myself then. She quit letting me drink at concerts."

Clint had been idly listening to her drunken chatter, but the last part grabbed his attention. Who was Sam? He didn't ask it out loud.

Matilda realized her slip.

Clint realized that Matilda was quickly sobering up, although he still hadn't figured out how. She opened the door to her room, and he set her down on her bed. She took off her shoes and put them in their place in her closet. She moved from the edge of the bed up against the headboard and leaned back.

He sat, where she had been sitting.

"Do me a favor?" she asked.

"What?"

"Forget about everything that I just did up there."

He smiled and shook his head. "Nah, that's gonna stick with me for a while."

She glowered, and he laughed. She reached up and smacked him upside the head.

" _Pour some sugar on me_ ," he sang.

She smacked him again.

" _In the name of love_ "

There was another.

" _Pour some sugar on me_ "

One more

" _Come on and fire up_ "

She went to smack him again, but he caught her hand. She made him release her hand. Once she was free he flexed his hand and glared at her.

"You brought this upon yourself," she said. He kept glaring. "Bird boy mad that he got bested by little old me," she taunted.

"I could beat you with out your gift."

"Do you wanna bet?" she asked.

"Meet me in the training room in fifteen minutes."

"See ya there and I'll even make it fairer for ya," she said.

"How so?"

"You'll see. Now vamoose," She shooed him out. She got dressed and dug around through the unopened suitcase in her closet. She found the small metal item she was looking for and put it on before heading to the training room.

When she got there she saw Clint standing in the center of the room.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

"It's a circlet dumb ass," she said, "This is your advantage. It's made of vibranium. That sixth sense of mine is completely blocked. You don't understand how blind I feel, and I can't move anything."

"That's called normal."

"Normal is overrated," she scoffed. She then smirked. "You ready to get beat?"

"You're not going to beat me," Clint said.

"We'll see," she said.

"Rules?" he asked.

"When one give up it's over. If one gets knocked out it's over."

"That all?"

"Don't hold anything back." She turned as if she was going to back up a few steps, but in an instant turned sending a well-placed kick to his kidneys. He caught her leg on the calf and pulled her towards him. She grabbed his head and lifted her knee as high as she could and pulling his head down to meet it. She knew she was being tougher than he expected. That was her plan. She was baiting him.

Her normal fighting technique was to avoid every punch thrown at her until her opponent was so tired that she could take him down with ease. That's not saying that she couldn't throw a punch, she just preferred not to.

He wiped at his nose checking for blood. She saw the change in his eyes. "Come on Birdie. I thought you were going to beat me," she taunted. She began to circle him. Using the reflection of the glass of the training room, he watched her, and when he had the perfect chance, he knocked her down.

She had gotten closer, but not close enough. He still didn't want to hurt her. She kicked him in the nads. He hit the ground and after a moment of her snickering started to get up. He glared at her.

"I told you not to hold back," she said. He got up and came after her. She dodged his every move with grace, jumping, spinning, splitting, and flipping.

As he tired out, she smirked. It had taken longer than normal, but it was still working. Clint knew what Matilda was doing. He feigned tired giving her a false sense of security. She went to kick him in the stomach and knock him back, but he knocked her down and pinned her there.

Matilda was caught off guard and let out a gasp. She smirked up and Clint. "Got me," she said. She shook her head really hard and her circlet came off. Her face broke out into a full blown smile as she sent Clint flying. He held on to her. He ended up pressed to the wall holding her close to him. Something changed between the two, and they found their faces slowly inching closer to each other's.

When their lips touched the two instantly melted into each other. Matilda released him, and he brought his hands to her face, cupping it.


	11. Chapter 10

" _You will be my queen and with your power and my magic, we shall rule the puny mortals."_

_Matilda didn't know, where she was. All she knew was that she was standing on ice and it was cold._

" _You've answered my call my queen."_

_There was a voice, but no body. There wasn't anything but ice._

" _Who are you?"_

" _That my dear is un-"_

" _I am not your dear, nor am I queen and if you refer to me as such again I will be highly upset."_

_There was a chuckle echoing around her. "That may be what you think now, but in due time you will see it my way."_

" _I find that hard to believe. Now who are you?" Matilda persisted._

" _I am your-"_

" _If you don't give me an answer, I will wake up and do not think that I can't."_

" _Just know that I am your king."_

...

Matilda opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds. Her nightmare had certainly been unsettling.

"Go to sleep," Clint said.

"I barely opened my eyes," she said.

"I learned young, how to be hyper aware, even when I'm asleep."

Matilda stored that for later use. He pulled her closer to him. "What is it?" he asked.

"A voice. He keeps saying that I will be his queen and that together he and I shall rule. It's stupid shit. Fucking 202 and still afraid of the damn boogey man."

"What were you two under the bed or hiding in the closet?"

"Some weird ice thing."

Clint was about to make a retort, when he remembered what Thor said about Loki being a frost giant. He tried to maintain the same level of clam and light heartedness as before, but he didn't get a word out, before Matilda questioned him. "What is it?"

"Not-"

"I can feel your heart rate quicken. Lying isn't going to work."

"We need to talk to Thor."

Matilda looked at the clock, and then sensed everything in the tower. "He's asleep."

"Time for a wake-up call," Clint said. He got up and dragged Matilda with him to Thor's room.

"How do you wake up the god of thunder?" Matilda asked.

"Just watch," he said. He began to bang on the door to Thor's room unceremoniously.

Matilda just crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "JARVIS, could you please get Thor?"

"Yes, Ms. Knight."

A few moments later, Thor pulled open his door. He glared at the two. "Can Loki enter people's dreams?" Clint asked.

"Yes, my brother does have that ability. Has he entered yours?"

"No," Clint answered.

Thor looked at Matilda.

"Matilda has my brother been entering your thoughts at night?"

"I don't know for sure, because I don't know a damn thing about Loki, other than he's your brother, he wants to rule this world, and you kicked his ass."

Thor went into his room grabbed a shirt and returned. They walked upstairs. Clint had JARVIS show clips of Loki, but there was no audio.

"I haven't seen him. I've only heard him," she said.

"JARVIS do we have an audio clip of Loki?"

"Yes, Mr. Barton. Shall I play it?"

"Yeah."

_"What have I to fear?" the voice in my dreams said._

_"The Avengers. It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's Mighiest Heroes' type thing."_

Matilda shook her head at Tony's casual tone.

_"Yes, I've met them. "_

_"Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a head count here: your brother the demi-god; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and YOU, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. "_

_"That was the plan," Loki said._

_Matilda's brow furrowed in confusion. How did Loki expect to win, when he pissed everyone off. Had he never herd of 'the enemy of my enemy is friend.'_

_"Not a great plan. When they come, and they WILL, they'll come for you."_

_"I have an army."_

_"We have a Hulk."_

_"I thought the beast had wandered off..."_

_"You're missing the point! There's no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it!"_

"Yeah, one of my better speeches. Way better than the drunken birthday one. So why are we having a secret late night meeting regarding the diva overlord?"

"He's been entering Matilda's dreams," Thor answered.

"Well at least we knows he's tired since he's been running through her dreams all night."

Clint smacked Tony upside the head.

"Cool your jets Hawky. We're not going to let Madonna here's brother do anything to your hen," Tony said.

I rolled my eyes.

"What do we do?" Thor asked.

"I mean I have to sleep, and he's not just going to stop. Do you know of a way to block him?"

"No. I am not sure of my brother's power any more. It seems that although he's using the same tricks he's gotten stronger. Unless…" he trailed off.

"Unless what Blondie?" Tony asked.

"Unless he's closer than we thought. Unless he's broken out of his prison."

Clint slammed his fists on the table. "I thought you said he'd stay locked up on Asgard forever."

"Mom is not going to like this," Tony said.

"Fury is the least of our problems right now," Clint said.

"We tell the others in the morning. For now we rest. We shall need it in the upcoming days."

"I agree with Goldilocks, especially since we'll have to face Spidey's wrath."

"Oh joy," Maatilda said standing up. The last thing she wanted to deal with was Natasha.

Clint got up and followed her to her room. Clint sat down on the edge of Matilda's bed.

Honestly Matilda wasn't sure what to make of Clint's actions. Sure she knew he cared for her somewhat, but nothing had ever been discussed. There were still the secrets they told each other, the whole sharing a bed bit and the occasional kiss or two, but nothing else had really changed. She liked it though. The more she was with Clint the more her feelings for him started to develop and grow. She knew she should stop it. That she should save them both the pain.

Matilda didn't age and Clint did. He would wither away and die, while she merely stayed the same. Even if she did start aging again, it would be at a much slower rate and she would still out like Clint by a couple hundred years. She was selfish though. She knew it. She felt bad about it, but she enjoyed being around him too much. It had happened once before. She started to feel for someone. She had left before things could get too serious though. She was trying to avoid the inevitable.

She rested her hands on his back and began to slowly message it. He melted into her touch. "You need to relax," she said.

"Relax, when Loki plans on taking over the world again?"

"Yes. You're Hawkeye. You're cool calm and collected. You're not this."

"What is this?"

"Emotional. You're letting what you feel get the best of you, which will not bode well, when it comes to a point, where you have to face Loki."

He sighed. She was right. He didn't like it, but she was right. He needed to keep a level head. He was more affective that way.

"Besides, I can take care of myself," she said.

"I'm sure you can, but it still helps to have someone watch your back."

"I know trust me I know." In that moment the one person whose back she was always supposed to have popped into her mind. Matilda instantly felt guilty. She'd been trying to protect her, when she left. Matilda wanted all of the people after her to leave Samantha alone.

Who knew what Loki would do, whether he would go after her or not?

"Clint?"

"Hm?"

"I have a daughter," she said, "Samantha Lynn Knight. Born January 13th 1969. Did Fury have that in your file?"

"No. Not at all."

"Good."

"Where is she?"

"Albany," Matilda answered.

"What car are we taking?" he asked.

She smirked.

"I say the range."

He got up and went to his room. She changed and took the elevator down to the garage. She grabbed the keys to the range rover and hopped in the driver's seat. She wasn't surprised, when she noticed that Clint had his bow. She didn't want to know what else he had on him.

She noticed her outfit and gave him a look. She was in yoga pants, a tank, a hoodie and nikes. "Who are you getting all dressed up for?"

He gave her a questioning gaze before eyeing her attire.

"She's my kid. She gets dressed up to see me, not the other way around." With that they left the garage and were off to Albany.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Tony woke up and went to the kitchen for his morning coffee. He was surprised to see a short girl with black and blonde bob, leaning against the counter a newspaper in one hand in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

She looked up and noticed him. The first words out of her mouth were, "I'm not Matilda."

He hadn't even thought of that. "Then who are you?" he asked.

"Samantha Knight."

"JARVIS, who is this?"

"This is Ms. Samantha Lynn Knight. She is Ms. Matilda Knight's daughter."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Daughter? Where's Incubus now?"

"Right behind you sir."

Tony turned around and faced Matilda. "Sam, this is Tony. Tony meet Samantha Lynn."

"Since when do you have a kid?"

"Since January 1st 1969."

"And why haven't we heard of her until now."

"Because I have been trying to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. away from her, but now I'm desperate, so she's here."

"Thanks mom," Sam muttered sarcastically.

"You know what I meant."

"Yeah. Yeah."

"So I'm gonna assume, by the way that she looks that she ages like you?"

"Nope. If that was true, she'd be eight. She aged really fast then stopped. She was eighteen, when she was nine."

"Oh great now I have to deal with two of you," Tony said, "So when am I gonna call the other up here so we can figure out your whole Loki situation. Plus we have to figure out a way to keep Mother Fury, from ripping our heads off, for Sammy here."

"Don't call me Sammy."

"Or what you're gonna have Mommy here hurt me."

"I wouldn't piss her off, if I were you," Matilda warned.

It was too late. Sam eyed Tony up and down. She sensed every injury Tony had ever had. In a second, Tony began to groan in pain. It was just like when he was testing out the flight tech for the suit and slammed into the ceiling.

"Yeah, Sam is special like me. She has the ability to heal, but she can also do the reverse and make a person's previous injuries return. Oh and she really really hates being called Sammy, been that way all her life."

Matilda looked at Sam. "Wanna go with me to get the others?"

"Sure." Sam walked off with Matilda.

"JARVIS," Tony called.

"Yes, Sir."

"Will you tell Pepper to come here?"

"Will do sir."

Matilda and Sam were in the elevator, when Matilda's phone rang. She answered it, not bothering to look at the number. She already knew who it was and what they wanted.

"What?" she answered.

"Did you pick up and un authorized –"

"She's my daughter. Loki might be after me, and the Widow isn't here. Am I missing anything? No. Alright. Good-b-"

"I have the council on my as-"

"I'll call you back, when I give a shit about the council. From what I here they almost nuked Manhattan, so I really don't think listening to them should be high up on your list of things to do."

"You know just as well as I do that it doesn't work that way."

"Yeah, I do, but I also know that it's not my problem. Just let us handle it. While you're at it bring back the widow. I may not be her biggest fan, but we might need her."

"You better know what you're doing," Fury growled.

"Don't worry we're having a meeting as soon as I get everyone up and in the Avengers tech center. You can yell at us then." Matilda hung up and let out a sigh.

They were in front of Cap's room. Before knocking on the door Matilda realized he was probably in the training room. They moved to Thor's room. Matilda knew he was in there, so she just picked him up and slammed him against the door repeatedly.

Finally the door opened to reveal him.

"Finally grabbed the handle. Smart."

"Thor this is Samantha. Sam Thor. Sam is my kid. Thor is a Price of another realm and the Norse god of Thunder."

"Lady Matilda, I was unaware you had a daughter."

"Did you tell anyone about me?" Sam asked.

"Clint," Matilda answered.

"You mean the guy who came with you to come and get me?"

"Yeah."

"What's you're deal? Are you two together or…"

"Or," Matilda answered.

"And or would be?"

"Why are you being so damn nebby. Or is or."

"It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance Lady Samantha."

"Nice to meet you too Thor. Call me Sam, just Sam."

"Sam."

"Alright Thor, Avengers tech center. We're having a meeting, I'm gathering up the others. It's also much easier to introduce her to people one at a time."

The mother and daughter got on the elevator and rode down to the lab. They found Bruce studying a touch pad.

Matilda casually strolled over to Bruce, while Sam began to look at all of the equipment.

"Hello Tilda," Bruce said looking away from the screen.

He noticed the woman looking over some of his equipment. "Uh hello," he greeted tentatively.

"This equipment is amazing. Researching gamma radiation?"

"Quit being ignorant and introduce yourself," Matilda said.

"Oh I'm Sam. Hi."

"I'm Bruce Banner."

"He's the Hulk," Matilda said bluntly.

"Your research is very impressive. I was working with Betty. Betty Ross."

Bruce's demeanor changed.

"Sore subject? Sorry. Anyways though she talked about you a lot, so it's very exciting to finally meet you."

"Sam is a medical doctor," Matilda said, her pride in her daughter was obvious.

"Then maybe you can help me. I-"

"No now Bruce. Meeting time. We have a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

"A Loki situation," she elaborated.

"Is Tony up there?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah."

He sighed. "I'm going."

"What would that deal be?" Sam asked as she and her mother walked.

"Tony is pretty much Bruce's best friend, but Tony can be annoying. He does try to help embrace the Hulk, so they get along cause he's not afraid. On the other hand Tony is constantly trying to unleash the Hulk. Seems that Bruce is building up a tolerance to Tony's shit though. It makes Steve angry though. That boy needs to loosen up a little. Then there's Thor. He and Steve get along really well since neither really understand what's going on in the world. He has a girlfriend named Jane. She's an astrophysicist. Her assistant Darcy will probably become your best friend. You're alike in a few ways."

Sam had a small smile on her face listening to her mother talk.

Matilda paused. "What are you smiling about?"

"You've found yourself a family," Sam said.

"No, you're the only family I need as soon as this Loki business and the other two are up to date I am out."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"What about lover boy?"

"Yeah… I don't know. I mean I don't age. Not even you can change that. We've tried. I'm not going to sit there and watch while he withers away and dies."

Sam saw right through her mother. She loved him. She may not have even known it, but to Sam it was obvious. She hadn't really gotten a read on Clint other than he was protective of her mom. She needed to see the two together more. She had an idea, but she needed them to be more established before she even thought of mentioning it. "You don't think that's gonna hurt him."

"He's an assassin. He can block it out and move on."

"Can you?"

Matilda didn't answer.

When they walked into the training room, Cap stopped his work out to greet the two women.

"Hello Matilda," he greeted.

"Hello Cap."

"Who is the young lady?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"This is my daughter Samantha."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, "What if she gets hurt?"

"Well considering the fact that it appears Loki is after me, it's better than leaving her un protected."

"Loki is after you?"

"Yeah. You missed our late night rendezvous. So come up to the Avengers tech center, because we're having a little meeting, because we're all very worried."

"Got it."

As they headed back, Matilda asked Sam a few questions. "You know I love you right?"

"Yes, which is why you haven't been around to keep me safe."

"So youre not gonna be mad at me?"

"For what?"

"For making sure that you don't get yourself in any deeper. Avengers stuff it's secret stuff anf you are nebby."

"Don-"

As soon as the elevator door opened on the women's floor. Matilda picked Sam up and sent her down the hall to Darcy's room and locked her in there. She wouldn't be alone. Darcy was there too. There goes another snoop.

Matilda made her way to the Avengers tech center and sat next to Clint.

"What's going on?" Steve asked.

"Hen?" Tony gestured to Matilda to explain.

"I've been having weird dreams, which is normal for me. I haven't had a normal dream since World War I. Anyways they're all a voice telling me that I'm wasting my potential, slumming it out with humans, yada yada. The last one was really weird cause I was like on this icy planet that-"

"Sir a woman has just jumped out of the ninety second floor window," Jarvis interrupted.

"What?!"

"God damn it," Matilda muttered. She quickly found Sam and grabbed her before she went smack on the ground. Sure it wouldn't kill her, but it would hurt like hell and she would bitch for months about how much the actual impact hurt. She lowered Sam onto the ground and decided just to let her go. "Gonna punch that girl. Back to what I was saying, on this icy planet. There was nothing around just that voice. He went on with the usual and said I was gonna be his queen, which I objected to. Then I asked who it was and woke up. I told Clint and we went and found Thor."

Thor then explained. "It appears that my brother has found entry into Lady Matilda's dreams. He possesses the magic for such tricks, but his prison cell was created to prevent such tickery."

"Then he got out," Bruce concluded.

"But how?"

"Apparently prisons on Asgard just aren't what they used to be," Tony said.

"We had our best guards wat-" Thor started to defend fiercely.

Just then a holographic image of Fury popped up on the center of the table.

"Oh great now Mom's here," Tony said.

"Director Fury," Steve and Clint greeted.

"Captain Rogers, Agent Barton."

"Sir, we were just discussing Loki's possible return," Clint informed Fury.

"What? Loki's back?" Darcy asked. She along with Pepper, Sam, Eric and Jane were standing in the door way.

Matilda slammed her fore head on the table. "Shit."

"Tony what's going on?" Pepper demanded.

"Alright Pep, remember Avenger's stuff you're not supposed to know about. Actually. You know what why don't you and the girls and Eric go on a little retreat, somewhere remote like-"

"What remote? I'm not going anywhere."

"Gah!" Matilda yelled bringing a hand to her nose, which had begun to bleed. She quickly found paper towels and brought them to her so that she could try to control the bleeding.

"Knight what's wrong with you?" Fury asked.

"SAMANTHA LYNN KNIGHT…"

"Uh oh full name," Bruce chimed.

"IF YOU DON'T FIX MY NOSE RIGHT NOW SO HELP ME GOD-"

"You'll what throw me in another room and lock the door so I can't get out?"

"Don't get smart with me. I brought you into this world I can take you right back out," Matilda growled.

"Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?" Fury demanded.

"Yes explain what's going on?" Pepper agreed.

"ENOUGH!" Steve yelled, "What's going on is that we're having a meeting that you're not cleared for and will probably put you in more danger by knowing. Sam you can stay because now it's out of the bag that you have some kind of power. Thor calm down Tony's just being his usual jackass self. Tony quit being your usual jackass self. Matilda quit seething, and Sam fix her nose."

The girls save for Sam went to object. Eric had already left the room. Matilda raised a hand and pushed the three into the hall and shit and relocked the door.

"JARVIS, watch them and alert me if they're up to something," Tony ordered.

"Yes, Sir."

Matilda set her nose and took a deep breath when it was healed. Matilda stood by her mom, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing. Matilda looked up and gave a nod. That was their silent apologies. The two loved each other to death, but arguments were common leading to spats like the one that had just transpired.

"Sir, we believe that Loki has escaped and is interested in obtaining Matilda," Clint said. His words were cold matching his eyes, but his clenched jaw betrayed his cool demeanor.

"What evidence do you have?"

"He's been in my dreams," Matilda spoke.

"And what does she have to do with it?" He asked referring to Sam.

"Cause I want you to protect her."

"And if she doesn't want our protection?"

"Too fuckin' bad."

"Sir, if I may. I believe I may be of assistance in a dire situation," Sam spoke.

This peaked Fury's interest. "How so?"

"I have been honing my skills over the year increasing my power."

This was news to Matilda. She watched Sam intently.

"Originally I was good at healing. I then learned to do the reverse and cause previous injuries to reoccur. As of late I have developed the ability to bring a deceased being back to life."

Matilda's jaw dropped. She hadn't a clue.

"The Avengers are a very valuable assets to you. It would seem to be in your best interest to keep me around incase of the unfortunate event one of them were to perish."

Matilda knew she had lost this battle.

"I believe you are right. Anything to say Matilda?"

"I birthed a demon spawn," Matilda said with no bite, just exasperation.

"Then it's settled Sam will stick around for a while. Now what is Loki planning?"

"He's planning to rule Earth again. That's why he keeps saying he'll be a king and Matilda will be his queen." Bruce deduced.

"Agreed. My brother may have been thwarted once, but he is determined to rule. He is not one to give up easily."

"He needs an army. He can't rely on just Matilda, if he gets her. He needs people to do his dirty work and to keep us occupied during his primary assult."

"Agent Hill and I have been tracking a series of movement for the past few months. It seems that multiple secret un authorized groups have been converging. Matilda you may be familiar with some of them, Marx, TLK-"

"I get it," Matilda said, beginning to worry.

Clint looked at her worriedly.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit."

"What?"

"That's his army. Loki's creating an army of programs that all have one thing in common."

"What?"

"Me," Matilda closed her eys and gritted her teeth fighting the onslaught of memories. Strapped to chairs, pricked with needles, cut, tested, hit-"

"Ma, it'll be allright," Sam tried to soothe her mother.

"I want those bastards dead," Matilda said.

"That's it," Bruce said, "If Loki knows who has been after her, he's been watching her. He knows that she wants revenge. He wants to lure her out. Get her there so that he can grab her and control her. If she's here she should be safe for now, until we figure out how exactly to go about this."

"Then we keep her here," Clint said.

"We need to be ready in case something goes bad," Tony said. "JARVIS, find a remote location with a place to stay, then arrange for the jet to take the girls and Selvig there, then lock down the tower. All non-avenger personnel need to be gone and working in the offices near the factory. Also send Pepper and other's to the workshop in the basement. Just for precautionary measures, I think it's time to do a little unveiling."

"You do what you need to do. We will speak again when we have a plan, which better be soon." With those parting words the hologram in the table disappeared.

Tony rose. "Follow me." He started walking towards the elevator.

"JARVIS tell Spidey to get down here."

"Sir, Agent Romanov has been gone for a week."

"She has?"

"Yes, Sir."

"That explains so much."

The group went down to the basement/garage. While he shared a lab with Bruce, Tony's personal workshop was in the basement/garage/armory. They walked to the very edge of his shop, where the suits were all lined up.

When the Avengers got down there, they were met by Pepper. "I think you forgot something," she said holding up two metal cuff."

"Yeah those would be important. Everybody introducing Mark VIII." He put on the cuffs and held out his arms. The capsule detected them and the suit assembled itself onto his body. He went through all of the improvements. The others listened carefully except for Clint, who was silently fuming.

Matilda noticed and moved his arms from, where they were crossed over his chest and subtly grabbed it, giving it a reassuring squeeze. It did nothing, but she didn't expect it to. She wasn't much better."

"Alright time for my ne-"

" _Our_  newest creation?"

Tony looked at Pepper. "Didn't I say our? I meant to say our."

"Sure you did."

"Pepper's and my newest creation. I did the science. She made it look good and practical."

He led everyone over to a table.

"So since Matilda doesn't have a suit that we know of, Tony and I designed one," Pepper explained. Matilda perked up at that.

"I being the genius that I am have made a new material. It should stretch and change as you do." He pressed a button and the table stood up revealing the suit. He grabbed something else off of a counter and threw it at Bruce. "Where these all the time, and you should never half to wake up naked again.

"I designed it," Pepper said to Matilda.

Matilda looked at it in awe along with Sam. The top was actually a dress. The top part of the dress was fitted and had a black, white and silver design. The bottom part of the dress was flowy. The pants looked like leather with matching boots. There were two metallic cuffs and a matching necklace.

"What's the jewelry made of?" Tilly asked.

"Chrome coated Kryron."

She picked up the metal with her mind. "Well I can move it," she said.

"It's bullet proof," Sam chirped.

"Bathroom over there. Go put it on," Pepper urged. She practically dragged Matilda to the bathroom. She changed and when she came back out, Pepper beamed at her and Tony's work.

"So?" Pepper asked.

"I like it," Matilda said, "I really really like it." Matilda did a slight twirl just to flare out the skirt of the dress. The suit was a good distraction.

"I figured you could whip the necklace around and things if you need to. Let's go show the others."

Matilda followed Pepper out. Pepper grabbed a belt off of the table. "Put it on under the top, keep it hidden."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Ninja stars and throwing knives. They're all cased so that you can sit and stuff, but still can get them out in a second. We figured they'd be a secondary kind of thing."

"Scary, how much she liked picking out weapons," Tony said.

"Better sleep with one eye open," Darcy said.

"Pepper, the pièce de résistance." She brought over a small box and opened it.

Matilda shook her head at Tony. "Really? You had to get the mask?"

"This one has the same qualities as the suit," he said.

"It'll change and disappear as you want it to."

"Thank you," Matilda said to the two.

Tony just looked smug. "You're welcome," Pepper said, "Sam, I'll show you to your room. Then according to JARVIS I have packing to do." She gave Tony a pointed look.

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Tony played clueless following along.

"Jane, my lady, I shall help with the packing of your belongings," Thor said walking with Jane.

Darcy and Eric were discussing if by him sitting on her suit case it would shut and if she would need her taser, where ever they were going.

Bruce had gone to get to his lab and Steve had followed. Apparently Bruce was very close to identifying what Matilda was and Steve thought that maybe it would help figure out what exactly Loki planned on doing with her.

That left Clint and Matilda. Matilda turned and looked at the master marksman. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed waiting for him to look at her. After a few mintes, she decided to make him look at her. "Now is not the time to let your emotions get in the way. You need to be the cool calm and collected. If your judgment gets clouded, Loki is gonna pounce on it. Plus I can handle myself."

"That's why you nearly had a panic attack, when you heard who was after you?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Listen, I wasn't the same person then as I am now. I'm stronger. I'm focused and most importantly, I'm smarter. Last time they got me was because I was stupid."

"You said the last time was the 1980's how much smarter could you who is 202 get in 30 years?"

"The last time I was captured, I did it on purpose to keep them away from Sam. You haven't been through what I've been through and vice versa. I don't pretend to know what happened in Budapest and you can't pretend to know what happened every time I was caught. Trust me. I can handle this. Just a few flash backs. It's happened before and it'll happen again, but I get over them. I'm fine. I am fine. Now are you alright cause if anything I should be more worried about you than you me."

He took a deep breath. It was like she hadn't taken a huge weight off of his shoulders. "I'm fine," he said.

She knew there were still other things, but she decided that was for another time. He leaned down and kissed her. She kissed back loving the new passion behind it, but disliking the reason why.


	13. Chapter 12

After a week of being trapped in the tower, Matilda was getting pretty pissed off. There were multiple ideas being thrown around, but no one could agree on one. Some suggested going after Loki without her. Others thought that Matilda should be bait. Needless to say Clint and Sam shot that one down real fast. Then other's thought that before any plan could be made more information was needed.

Once again we were all in the tech center sitting around the table, throwing out ideas. Well they were throwing out ideas. She was bored and cranky.

"I must get word on Loki's confinement," Thor said.

For Thor to get word on Loki he would have to return to Asgard. "We can't risk you not being here if he attacks," Cap said.

"Sir, there seems to be an issue in the main lobby," JARVIS spoke.

"How is anyone even here? We're on lock down. Can't security take care of it?"

"You sent security home. The only one who remains here is Norman, who lives in a residential room on the main floor. Sir, she is instant on seeing Thor."

"Psycho fan?" Tony asked,

"No, she claims to be a friend of Thor's and a goddess of war."

"Sif," Thor concluded.

Tony brought up a screen, seeing Norman, the doorman, leaning back a sword aiming towards him. Thor ran down the stairs ignoring the elevator to the lobby. "Lady Sif there is no need for such violence," he said, when got up there. She lowered her weapon and turn to Thor.

"Thor, it is good to see you are well. Unfortunately I'm not here for mere visitation. Loki has escaped," she said, getting straight to the point.

Thor sighed. "We were just speaking of that possibility. Come with me. We must speak with the others. He led her up to the tech center. "Lady Sif, welcome to Stark Tower, where my brothers and sisters in vengeance reside for the most part." He gestured to Bruce. "This is Dr. Bruce Banner, a man of science."

"He also turns into a totally awesome giant green rage monster," Tony piped up.

Sif's eyes widened somewhat.

"No need to worry, I've got the other guy, the Hulk, under control," Bruce said. He winced, when he said Hulk.

"Have you been cursed?" Sif asked.

"No, it was an accident. I- I did this to myself."

Matilda put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a slight reassuring smile.

Tony was next. "Tony Stark," he introduced himself, "Genius, millionaire, Ironman."

"The man next to Bruce Steve Rogers, Captain America and our leader in battle."

"Nice to meet you Ma'am," he said.

"The quiet brooding one is Clint Barton. He's an excellent archer with the eyes of a hawk."

Clint gave a quiet nod. Matilda looked at him and moved his arms from, where they were crossed over his chest and grabbed one of his hands, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Our newest member, Lady Matilda Knight."

"Call me Tilly or Tilda, your choice. I'm a telepath."

"Lady Matilda had been given the task of helping both Steve and I adapt to this world."

"Lady Matilda's daughter Samantha has been gifted with the power of healing," Thor continued.

Sam nodded.

"Lady Romanov is the woman with red hair monitoring the screens on the wall. She is trained in the art of death and as lethal as a black widow spider."

Natasha didn't even acknowledge Sif.

It is an honor to be in the presence of such great warriors," Sif said.

"The honor is ours," Matilda said.

"It would be best if we got back on topic," Steve said, "Sif?"

"Yes, my apologies. Loki has managed to escape. His muzzle was removed for his daily meal. The guard forgot his ear protectors and was tricked into releasing him. We have not a clue, where he went, but considering his obsession with defeating Thor we believe that he came here."

"He has been entering Tilly's dreams," Steve said.

"He has?"

"Keeps asking me why I waste my time, when I have so much potential, and says I will be his queen," Matilda repeated again.

"Sounds like Loki, but what would he need you for? He's had the power to obtain a vast amount of soldiers."

"He already has and he's using the one thing they have in common, they all want her," Tony pointed his pen at Matilda.

"Samantha and I have been going over Matilda's test results," Bruce said.

"What?" she asked.

"Bruce told me about your eyes changing color. It's been something I've been looking into for a while," Sam fessed up.

"You have?"

"It's happened quite a few times. I've just never brought it up." Before Matilda could say something, Sam continued. "We think that it's part of a transformation into something more something even more powerful than you are now. Like… Like…"

"Like when the other guy comes out, just without the actual other being," Bruce said.

"The problem is we don't know how strong you are and what triggers it," Sam said.

"If we could induce an episode, then maybe we could figure it out."

"I am confused as to what this means," Sif said.

"If Loki manages to get to her and control her and gain her access to that other level, then he would have a power that we have no chance of contending with."

"Just keeps getting fucking better," Matilda grumbled.

"Then let's go induce an episode shall we," Tony said.

"We need the equip-" Bruce started then stopped as realization slapped him in the face. "You figured this out before."

"Your interest didn't get peaked when she blacked out on my floor?"

"Alright. Here's the plan. Matilda, you're gonna try to block out your other sense since it seemed to work once. Bruce, Sam and I are going to get the monitoring equipment set up."

"Spidey keep checking on Loki's status. Clint, you monitor your hen. Cap you monitor security. Blondie, Sif… You do whatever Cap tells you."

"Since when did Tony become captain?" Steve asked.

"Bruce, you said you got my test results. Then what am I? What are we?" she included Sam, even though she was only a half.

"I'm still not sure. Your DNA is different, but it seems to be more than mutations. I can't tell you definitively yet."

"Thank you Bruce."

Matilda got up went to her room. Clint went over to the monitors. "Well, you decided to trust her and look where that got us," Natasha said.

"Had we not trusted her, we wouldn't have figured out that Loki was after her."

"If she hadn't come here he wouldn't have found her."

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Listen I don't have time for this. I'm trying to figure out what exactly Loki's move is gonna be. You should go watch Knight. Someone needs to be there in case this little experiment goes bad."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means what if like the Bruce she's no longer in control."

"They-"

"They speculated. You need to let how you feel about her mess up your judgment."

Clint just left. He decided to blow off some steam he was gonna let a few arrows fly. That's exactly what he did.

Matilda had changed and was watching Clint. He hit the target dead center every time. On one arrow Matilda just barely moved it. Clint turned to look at her.

"What did the bug say?" she asked walking up behind him.

"Nothing that helps us, so nothing important," he said, turning around to face her.

"Are you okay with all of this?" he asked.

"Been through worse. Remember? Are you worried?" she asked.

"Not if you aren't," he said.

"Then let's go. They're ready," she said beginning to walk towards the door way.

He walked up to her spun her around and kissed her.

She pulled back. "Don't kiss me like that, like you expect something bad to happen. You can do that after something bad has happened."

She walked into the training room, and sat down Indian style in the middle of it. "everything is wireless, so you can go whenever," Tony said.

She began to choke down on that sixth sense. She felt every slip and tried to close off each crack, but slowly it began to slip more and more, until finally she began to fade into darkness. Sam and Bruce were carefully monitoring her brain activity, while Tony was focusing on the energy readings around her. Clint was watching for any sign of the change. Steve was pacing and Natasha was just watching. The two Asgardians, were still in the tech center discussing what could and should be done to Loki.

Surely enough there was a slight change, before passing out, Matilda's power spiked. Her eyes barely turned before her lids shut. Sam and Clint went down to her. Sam put a hand on her mother's forehead and closed her eyes. Ten seconds later, Matilda was up.

"Well?"

"Your energy outputs increased greatly. My assumption is that this other form is to help you channel it cause you can't do it in this one. Problem is you're over whelmed before it can happen."

Bruce had walked over in time to hear, Sam's idea. "It's the only thing that truly makes sense at the moment."

"Do we have a plan yet?" Matilda asked.

"I think we do," Cap said, "We manage to get this other form or whatever out then it would seem that Loki doesn't have a chance."

"So what do we do?" Clint asked.

"We try everything."

•••

Matilda was tired. She had been thoroughly poked, prodded, tested, pissed off, examined and through a ton of tests and exercises. She was sitting in the lab on a cot. Everyone else had run off to update Fury, but she stayed, too tired to care about the S.H.I.E.L.D. director.

"I don't understand Clint's infatuation with you," Natasha said.

"I don't understand why you're here, so I guess we're even," Matilda cracked an eye open. "You gonna kill me?"

"No, it's not like I'd be able to."

"Then what the hell do you want?"

"I want to know what you think is gonna happen, when you leave?"

"I have no intentions of leaving."

"You don't age. You haven't in years. You mean to tell me you're going to stick around and deprive Clint of a semi normal life after S.H.I.E.L.D?"

Matilda didn't show how Natasha's words affected her.

"You're going to sit and watch as he grows old, withers away and dies?"

"It's up to him."

"No it's not. It's never been. All of your husbands died before they could get old."

"I used them for the money," Matilda responded. Internally there was a 'some of' added on before the them.

"And what are you using Clint for? Safety?"

"Not using him." Matilda's anger was building up inside.

"That's it," Nat continued. Matilda gritted her teeth in frustration and balled her fists at her sides.

"I know you don't trust me. You don't have to, but I'm surprised you're losing your trust in him."

"He's compromised. He's ruined. He loves you. He'll be even more ruined, when you flee. You can try to act as if you won't, but I know better. You try to be a good person Matilda. You know that for Clint a normal life isn't possible in general. The problem is that you're selfish. You know that you should've never gotten close to him, but you did anyways. You know that now you're committed because you as foolish as it sounds are in love with him too, but because YOU don't want to watch him grow old, because it would hurt YOU, you'll leave. It'll ruin him. He'll either fall apart or close off and it'll be all your fault."

"YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO SIT AND SLOWLY WATCH EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT DIE!" Matilda screamed. Her eyes changed, the irises turning silver, and her pupils narrowing to slits before dilating back to normal. Her hair became a mixture of black silver and mostly white. Her face completely changed and while before she seemed tough, this time she seemed delicate almost, but strong.

Natasha smirked.

"You- You- Oh my god!" Matilda said.

While Matilda confusedly tried to make sense of how everything had just happened. She was overwhelmed, not like before, but enough to be out of it. Natasha pulled out a small stick and snapped it causing it to expand. Before Matilda thought to take notice of the Russian, it was already pressed to her chest and turning back into its original scepter form.

"You are my queen now," Loki said, returning to his original form. He tossed her suit at her, which he had brought with him. "Change, quickly, we must leave before the others come to check on you."


	14. Chapter 13

"The Blackwidow, here in the flesh. I thought it would be more of a challenge."

The Widow glared up at the German man in front of her, but didn't say a word.

"I hardly think you can handle a challenge of her caliber," a new voice said.

Natasha barely glanced over at the feminine voice. She did though and that glance changed everything. The woman was pale with thick black hair. She was dressed in a garb similar to that of Loki's. Natasha knew that it was Matilda and knew that whatever she was gonna try to do; she had to try to do it fast. That would be difficult though considering she was stuck in a metal chair with metal restraints.

She was caught between to thought processes. One process knew that she was right and that Matilda shouldn't have been trusted from the get go. The other saw the odd blue in the telepath's eyes and knew that she was under Loki's control.

' _You'd make a perfect puppet, but I'm not going to do that. No, it's going to be much more fun watching you try to act indifferent when the world comes crashing down around you,_ ' Matilda pushed the thought into Natasha's head.

"Get the hell out of my head," Natasha growled.

"Fine. I don't need to be in your head," Matilda said. She turned to the large German man. "Get her out of that chair. I want to be able to move her if necessary."

"But if she escape-"

"I'm sure even a moronic peasant such as yourself, can manage to restrain one person," Matilda said bitingly.

"Listen, I-"

Matilda's pupils completely backed out. "You are going to do as I say, because that is not only what I want, but your King as well."

The guy had no will of his own. "Yes, my queen," he said.

"Bravo," Loki said entering the room, clapping.

"My king," Matilda greeted.

"Ah, my fair queen. You are truly one of a kind."

"Thank you."

Natasha was dragged out of the room by the German man. The sight of Loki and Matilda happy made her sick to her stomach, something she was unaccustomed to.

Meanwhile the tower and the Avengers were in a state of complete and utter chaos.

"WE NEED TO ACT NOW! HE HAS HER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS?! THE RISK?!" Clint yelled, slamming his fists down on the table.

"Birdboy, I'm all for hunting them down now, but you need to calm down."

"We're not going now. We need more information," Steve said.

"I am in agreement with the patriotic one," Sif said, "It is far too dangerous for us to go into battle without proper preparation. We-"

"No. There's no we. There's us and you, who let him escape."

"It was not Lady Sif's duty to guard Loki," Thor said.

"Of course you're defending her," Clint said, "You defended Loki too. Are you going to now?"

"You trusted the Widow," Bruce argued.

"That wasn't her," Clint said.

"No it was Loki. You trusted Loki," Bruce pointed out. "God we fell right into his plans!"

"Yes, that you did," the entire group turned to look at the door, where Fury was entering.

"Fuck," Tony said, slamming his head down on the table.

That pretty much summed it all up. They all started arguing again. Sam hadn't said anything, but she had had enough.

Instantly everyone felt the most intense pain in their heads they had every felt. "Enough," she said quietly. "This moronic arguing isn't going to solve anything. Here's the deal. Loki has my mother. He's going to use her. We need to stop him. We don't know enough to do anything, even if acting immediately was the right plan. We know nothing. So rather than argue over stupis shit, we neeed to figure out what the fuck is going on. Clint you love her. We know, but you of all people should know that letting your emotions get in the way isn't going to fucking help shit. Thor, Sif, you two need to sort out everything you know about Loki's current powers and you need to do it NOW. Steve, Bruce, try to figure out where they're at. Tony you and Fury figure out who Loki's working with. Clint you know her, and you've been under Loki's control. Help me figure out how to help her."

With Matilda gone, Sam seemed to be able to carry that same control as her mother. No one argued with her, not even Fury. Everyone went to work separately and as Sam had predicted although she hadn't spoken the words, everyone and thing had started to come together.

It wasn't enough though. They had a very loose idea of what Loki and Matilda were capable and the resources they had, but not enough to really do anything with it.

After a while, Clint rubbed his face tiredly. "Calm down. We'll get her back. You know we will, because if we don't, when she finds her own way out she'll come and kick our asses, so we need to," Sam said.

Clint smirked a bit, but the it didn't reach his eyes.


	15. Chapter 14

"My queen," Loki said, walking up behind Matilda. She was sitting anxiously staring at the screens displaying the surface above. They were close to New York Harbor and had yet to be discovered. That was relieving. Being in a small space was driving her insane. Although she could now control her sixth sense, she had nothing to do. Loki had felt that it was beneath his queen. That meant Matilda had nothing, to distract her.

"My king," she responded.

"We are near are destination. Are you prepared for what you have to do?"

"I am. It'll take all my focus, so you better keep the Avengers at bay," she said, a hard edge in her voice.

"I believe that's your job," he said menacingly.

It didn't faze her. "My job is to keep them out. I can't do that however if I'm distracted."

"Then you better focus."

"It's odd for me, focusing. I've spent so many years, needing distractions that keeping the focus on one thing is difficult."

"You better learn and you better do it quickly."

Matilda had had it with Loki's tone and slammed him against the wall of the sub. He couldn't move. He hated that despite the fact she was under his control, she was still stronger. She got right up in his face. "You may be my King, but I am your queen and you will respect that!" she barked at him.

"My queen, but without me, you are nothing, not a queen, no better than a mortal."

She slammed him against the wall again. "Remember that those mortals, mortals and your brother defeated you, and they will do it again if not for me. Then last time you tried to rule you had a the chitauri. Now you have me and that is all."

"Are you stupid? I have an army."

"You have an army of humans. You know just as well as I do, that they are disposable. In fact if they manage to survive, I will be extremely surprised." She dropped him. "You may be king, but a king is nothing without his queen. Just consider yourself lucky that my loyalty to you will never fade."


	16. Chapter 15

Natasha had been kept in a dark cell for hours. She didn't know where she was. All she knew was that they were moving and that the German man and his team were in charge of watching her. She thought Matilda and Loki were nearby, but she couldn't be sure where. She also thought that they were going to act soon. That meant she was going to have to act soon as well.

She had been working on that, planning her escape. At the request of Matilda, she was no longer in the metal, which she assumed was adamantium. She was tied up with rope, which she had already moved enough that she could easily slip out of.

She was just waiting for her chance.

The German man walked in again. He had a water bottle in his hand.

"What did I do to you?" she asked him.

He didn't miss a beat. "You killed my son."

"How long ago?" she asked.

"Five years."

"What was he working on?"

"What do you care?" he asked.

"Honestly, I don't," she said, "I've got a lot of red in my ledger and a lot of people after me. I just wonder sometimes, why they come. Lives, don't mean much to me, not even your son's."

The German man got right up in her face. "What position are you in to talk to me like this? You are but a sad little girl, who got caught trying to play with the big boys. Look where that got you. Look!"

"Look where it go you," she said. With that, she head butted the man. He stumbled back. She stood and slid out of her ties. The guy came at her, but she dodged it and swept his legs out from under him.

His crownies came in guns drawn. She ducked under one and grabbed it, sending the ended of it into the guys face. The guys were in full on military gear, bullet proof vests and all. The second guy went to shoot her, but she used the first one as a shield. She pushed him into the second guy and ran.

She figured out she was on a sub, and went looking for the control room. It was being guarded by three guys. The first one was pacing up and down the corridor leading to the room. She tucked herself into a crevice. When the guy walked past, she grabbed onto one of the exposed pipes above her and shot out her legs, wrapping them around the guy's neck. Once he was in her little hiding spot and out of the view of the other's she let go and dropped. She quickly grabbed his neck and twisted. With a crack it was broken and the guy was dead. She searched him for anything useful to her and acquired two pistols, some ammo, a knife, and a flash bang.

She threw the flash bang down the hall. Hurriedly the other guards ran to investigate. She hopped up on the bar again and swung, kicking the first one, and taking him down and shot the second one in the neck. She pistol whipped the first one and stole his AK 47.

It wasn't really her style, but she had changed her plan and it then became necessary. With the guards dispatched, she headed to the room and banged on the door frantically. When it was pulled open, she kicked it the rest of the way in and shot the first guy, who had aimed a gun at her. She held the rest at gun point. "You're going to tell me what I want to know. You're going to tell me what I want to know, and you're gonna send out a message for me," she said. Matilda was a spy, not a soldier. Marching right into a battle wasn't what she was used to, but she already knew from dealing with both Matilda and Loki, nothing was ever what she was used to.

...

"WE GOT SOMETHING!" Tony yelled. Everyone came running over to the screen he and Bruce were sitting at.

The screen showed Natasha looking battered and tired on some sort of ship. "Loki and Matilda are in the harbor. They've got a fleet of sub and are going to launch their attack today. You have to stop them." There was a shout and gun fire. Natasha turned and fired, and then the screen went black.

"Avengers," Fury said, "suit up!"


	17. Chapter Sixteen

"We've got air craft, in coming!" a voice called.

Loki's head snapped up. He glared at the screen displaying the Avengers heading towards the harbor. "Surface now," he barked. He ran to his and Matilda's quarters. "My queen, it is time," he told her.

She looked up at him, pupils narrowed, a thin band of silver around them. "I'm ready my king," she said. He dragged her to the sub and waited for the sub to surface and for one of his minions to open the hatch.

Once it was open he went to grab Matilda, but she pulled a piece of concrete from Liberty Island and rode it up to the torch. Once up there, she sat down crossing her legs Indian style.

"I've got Incubus in my sights," Tony said, "She's with Thor's Diva brother."

"Where?" Clint asked. He, Sam, Fury, Cap, and Banner were in the Quinjet. Thor and Sif, were heading towards the harbor by hammer.

Matilda looked up and saw the red and gold armored man. With a slight twitch of her fingers, Stark was slammed up against a building.

"Son of a bitch!" he swore.

"Stark, what's wrong?" Fury asked.

"I can't move and my systems are shutting down. She's got me against a building."

"Hold up, we're coming over. Thor, Sif try and take her out.

Thor and Sif were at the edge of the harbor. He threw Mjolnir, but Matilda deflected it back. Sif threw her weapon, but the same thing happened. The two nearly were hit by their own weapons, but avoided them. Matilda closed her eyes and focused. She opened her eyes and they were complete whited out. A slightly opaque, but nearly clear bubble formed around her, and it quickly began to expand. The large it got the slower it got.

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me," Fury said, "What the hell is she doing?"

"Sir, this isn't something, we've never seen before," Clint said.

"Fire, see what it does," he said.

"Sir-"

"I said fire."

"Do it. If she gets hit, well that's what I'm here for," Sam said.

"Sir, you have to get us out there," Cap said.

"We'll get you in closer first. Clint opened fire towards Loki and Matilda. The ammunition hit the bubble and repelled back.

"It's a force field," Bruce said.

"Whatever it is that they're doing, they're trying their damnedest to keep us out."

"Well then what the hell do you suppose we do?"

We have to figure out how to get in, something that we can get in there.

"Guys, we've got bigger problems," Stark said. After Matilda had started with her force field, she let Tony go. Luckily his systems rebooted and he was flying again, before he fell to the concrete. "Scan the water."

Fury ran the scan. "There's a whole fleet of subs under the water," Bruce said.

"We've got to start taking out the subs," Cap said.

"Agreed."

"How does the hulk handle water?" Fury asked.

"I guess we're going to find out," he said.

"They're not far down. Actually, they're all coming up."

The subs began to surface. They completely covered the entry to the harbor.

Bruce jumped from the Quinjet , unleashing the hulk on the way down.

It seemed that although they couldn't get to Matilda, they were making a little bit of progress. Thor, Sif and Banner were taking out quite a few of the subs.

•••

"Go to the statue now!" Natasha yelled at the pilot of the sub she was on.

"I- I- I no understand. My English bad," the guy babbled in his thick Russian accent.

"Тогда, я думаю, что это хорошо, что я русский. Поверхность проклятый корабль сейчас!"

The guy complied. They were on the edge of the pack, not far from Liberty Island. She made her way without issue to the exit. Once standing outside on the top of the sub, she stripped herself of any unnecessary gear and dove into the water swimming towards the island. She looked up and saw a flash of green and gold.

"Loki," she growled.

•••

With Matilda's gift in full force, it was time for phase two. Loki looked at one of the men he had made a higher up. "Get them air born," he said.

"Yes, my king."

"Once you're in the safety of the queen's force field, get those beasts airborne," the man said into a radio.

Those subs already in the safety of Matilda's gifts began to shift and change. Like S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier, the subs sprouted four engines and took flight from the water."

Loki smiled.

•••

"Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it now," Fury said.

"Sam can't you just knock her out?" Cap asked.

"I can't feel her," Sam admitted.

"Then how were you going-"

"Not important," she cut Clint off.

Matters were made worse, when the field met the Hulk and Tony, pushing them back towards the harbor. They were losing ground and couldn't let that army get to the city. Tony changed tactics from destroying the sub to getting Banner the hell out of there.

Sam looked at Cap, and an idea came to her.

"Natasha fixed you by knocking you out. We have to knock her out."

"We can't-"

"She couldn't move vibranium. What if she still can't?"

"Barton get as close as you can. Cap get your throwing arm ready," Fury said.

They got as close as they could to Matilda. Loki looked at them with a mocking smile.

"If it isn't the Avengers. How mighty arm you now, now that you have lost one of your own."

"Fury, fly," Clint said. He went to the back of the jet. He grabbed a bow and notched one of his special arrows. They were adamantium. He got one with a bomb attached and fired it at Loki. He caught it of course and looked smugly at Clint. It blew up, throwing Loki to the ground. "Falls for it every time," he said.

Cap step up next and threw his shield. Loki regained enough of his composure to blast it with his scepter. It missed Matilda, but landed near her.

"YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR ME AND MY QUEEN!" Loki yelled.

"Yes. We. Are!" Natasha had navigated the statue and made her way to the arm, creating new passageways, when necessary. She got there just in time to see the shield clatter. She quickly picked it up and cocked it back, before slamming it into Matilda's head as hard as she possibly could.

The fem Loki fell to the ground, the force field disappearing and blood seeping from the wound on her head.

Loki raised his scepter, but was intercepted by a furious Thor with Mjolnir. Clint began to shoot at the heli subs in the air. With an assist from Tony, Sif and the Hulk began to go after the subs still in the water. Tony mainly focused on the ones in the air though, taking them out with ease with the help of Jarvis.

After Fury lowered the jet to the torch, Sam instantly jumped onto it and ran to her mother, putting her hand on the bleeding spot on the woman's head.

A few seconds later, Matilda opened her eyes, looking confused. "What the fuck is going on?" she asked.

Sam hugged the hell out of her mother.

"Family time later. Now we have a fight."

Matilda observed the scene around her and was instantly filled with rage. She stood up and raised her arms. Nothing moved. Everything was at a standstill. She removed every man from every sub and dropped them into the water. She would get to them later. She then took the subs and lined them all up. She sent them sailing into one another. They continuously blew up in a huge blaze of fire, smoke and bent metal. That is until she dropped them. She would retrieve the wreckage later. She had no intent of leaving it in the harbor, but now she had other things to focus on. She took a piece of concrete down to where Loki was. She released Thor, and let him smash Mjolnir into Loki's face.

"Thor, I got it," she said, before he could attack any more.

Matilda reverted to her natural form and looked at Loki. "I am not your queen. I am not your tool. I am not your bait, and I AM NOT YOUR FUCKING PUPPET!" she yelled.

She merely flicked her fingers and sent him fling into the concrete of the group repeatedly, harder and harder each time. Once she had finished letting her aggression out, she spoke to him again.

"You believe that you are better than us. That you are more fit to rule this planet than us, but that's not true. You see us as mindless creature, but we are more advanced than you. You're not. See what we may lack in power, we make up for in heart. You don't have a heart. That makes you no better than the machines you had built to defend you. Here's what you're going to do." Matilda's pupils expanded . "You're going to never use your magic again unless given permission by myself, Thor, or Odin, and you are going to serve out your sentence back in your realm."

Loki found himself unable to speak or do magic. Matilda let everyone resume what they were doing. Tony's missile, which would've hit a sub hit the Hulk, causing him to turn on Tony. "Sorry, big guy," he said as the Hulk roared at him. He ended up punching Sif, sending her unceremoniously into the water.

"Thor, get Sif and take him," Matilda said.

"Yes Lady Matilda. I'm glad you are back."

"Me too Thor. Me too."

"Alright let's clean up, bitches," Tony said.

"I resent that," Sam said.

"Let' just get this over with," Matilda muttered.

•••

"Clint's been waiting on you," Natasha said approaching Matilda, who was in the training room on one of Clint's perches.

"I know," Matilda said.

"You should go see him. He's a mess looking for you right now."

"Are you the same woman who tried to kick my ass or was that Loki?" Tilly asked.

"At first it was me. He got me in Iran."

"Thank you," Matilda said, "For fucking me up with Cap's shield."

"You need to stop," Natasha said.

"What?"

"I don't have to be a mind reader to know you're beating yourself up over what happened."

"I was so stupid. I should've f-"

"You sound like Clint."

"Damn it," Matilda muttered. "I can't. How the hell am I supposed to go and look at him, knowing that-"

"You helped him. Now let him help you."

"You don't even like me."

"I don't like anybody," she responded.

"Don't lie. You love me," Tony said heading towards the two.

"Dream on Stark," Nat replied rolling her eyes.

"Anyways," he ignored her, "Matilda, Spidey's right. Let him help. He should be here in probably-"

"One minute and forty-seven seconds," JARVIS answered.

"Thanks J," he responded, "So be ready cause you're going to kiss, make-up, heal whatever, then we're going for shawarma," he said.

"You're a dick," Tilly said.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever Incy. Nat?" he put an arm out for her. She grabbed it and flipped him leaving him gasping for breath on the ground. "Damn," he said.

Matilda laughed.

"Get up Stark," Nat pulled Tony up and started dragging him towards the staircase to the main floor. On their way out, they saw Clint.

"Go get her," Tony said regaining his breath.

Matilda had already come down from her spot in the rafters.

She went and stood in the middle of the room and waited. He hustled over to her and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and holding her as if she might disappear.

She gripped on to him just as tightly, burying her face in his neck.

"I'm so sorry," they both said.

They both pulled back to look at each other. The same look of stubbornness and anger graced their features.

"You have nothing to be sorry for!" Matilda yelled.

"No, you don't," Clint responded, "I should've been able to keep you safe. I should've known that wasn't Nat."

"How were you supposed to know? Fucking I have a sixth sense and couldn't figure it out."

"It was our job to-"

"No it wasn't. We are all equal. I-"

"Kids, play nice, or I'm gonna have to send Pepper in," Tony's voice rang through the loud speaker.

Matilda threw her middle finger up, knowing that he would see.

That caused Clint to crack a smile.

Matilda couldn't help, but smile back. "We're really stupid," she said.

"Not as dumb as Tony."

"True," she laughed.

Clint got serious again. She held her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "I mean it though. Do not blame yourself. I know what it feels like to have Loki take over you, but it's not your fault. You told me that. Remember?"

"God I'm too damn wise some times," she said, "You can't blame yourself either. No one could've known what Loki was planning."

"Fine," he said before leaning down to kiss her.

Afterwards, the two just stood there holding each other. "I love you," Clint said after a while.

That caused every thought of leaving that had been lurking in the very back of her head to go away. Initially she thought that it might just increase the fear with in her.

"I love you too," she said.

"Shawarma people!" Tony barked popping his head into the room. The two followed with Matilda staring daggers in the genius' back.

In the elevator she addressed him. "Dance bitch."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

"Wakey wakey mother fucker," Sam sang, cause Clint to crack an eye open and groan.

"What the hell, Sam?" he asked.

"We're home." She continued to sing her words.

"What? What do you mean 'we're home?' We didn't leave."

"Clint you can I went on an adventure," she said.

"Did we go to Vegas, because I don't remember anything," he replied, sitting up in the back seat of the Escalade.

"Not Vegas. Yosemite," Matilda answered walking to the escalade with a look of relief on her features. She gave Sam a look before turning her attention to Clint, giving him a once over to make sure he was nothing other than confused. "Sam, kidnapped you."

"Sure did," Sam said proudly.

Her mother sent her a glare. "I'm not sure why though," she said. "Are you going to tell us, Samantha?" Matilda had gone into full on mom mode. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave her daughter a very pointed look.

"I might've taken out a few red woods and made it possible for him to live for at least the next 1,000 years," Sam answered sheepishly.

"YOU WHAT?!" Matilda bellowed.

Clint was shocked. He wasn't sure at what though, the actual fact he could live to a thousand or how upset Matilda was.

"Did you even ask him?" Matilda asked in a much calmer voice.

"No," Sam answered. "He would've gone to you. And you would've told me no."

"Sam, this isn't for everybody," Matilda snapped.

"He'll be fine," she said.

"Uh girls?" he said, before either of them could really start going at it.

There was a groan from the trunk.

Clint looked back and saw a very alive Coulson groaning.

"Coulson?" he asked.

"Clint?"

"What happened?"

"How are you alive?" Clint looked at Sam.

"People seemed to care about him, so I brought him back."

Matilda rolled her eyes and stormed off. Clint watched her leave worry etched on his features. He looked at Samantha for an explanation.

"She's upset with me. Not about you, but about you. She's happy that in theory as long as I'm around she can have you forever, but living forever isn't exactly easy. I should've asked, but you make her happy, and I want that for her."

Clint took in what Sam was saying. Forever. Forever was a long time. He didn't have time to dwell on it, cause Coulson sat up.

"Can you fix us?" Clint asked.

Sam put a hand on his head and one on Coulson's. A warmth radiated from it and the pain, tension, and tiredness melted away.

"JARVIS!" Clint called.

"Yes, Mr. Barton?"

"Gather the team, and get Fury online. We have some things to discus."

•••

After reintroducing Coulson to the group and getting everyone up to speed, Clint went to his room. He changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, before heading to the room directly beneath his. When Matilda didn't answer he figured there were only two places that she would be. He grabbed his bow and quiver of arrows, before heading up the steps to the roof.

Sure enough, she was sitting, her legs dangling off the edge. He wasn't concerned. He knew she had no intent of throwing herself off, even if Sam wouldn't just bring her right back.

He sat next to her, and gazed out over the city with her. No words were spoken. Clint was completely relaxed, but he could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves.

"I'm sorry," she said, finally.

"For what?" he asked.

"Do you understand what exactly living for so long entails?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You can't get close to people. You can't stay in one place for long. You become nomadic. You watch as everyone lives their lives, as their lives progress. You watch everyone you care about die."

Clint shook his head. He hadn't thought about that, but that really didn't change anything.

"Matilda, I am an assassin. I get paid to kill people and there are a hell of a lot of people who want me dead. Just like you getting attached to people is not an option, and I have watched people I care about die. Up until you came along I was just like you, watching people live their lives, getting married, buying homes, having children. I never wanted it. All I want is you. I can't say we'll always have a home here or with SHIELD, but we do now, so how about you quit worrying and enjoy it, because we were both gonna end up leaving anyway."

Matilda felt like she could breathe again. He was fine. She honestly felt a little stupid for thinking he'd have such and extremely terrible reaction. She flipped her feet back over the ledge and stood up, Clint following suit.

He pulled her close and held her before pressing a kiss to her lips. She kissed back, settling into the embrace, when they parted. "I don't know whether to be releaved or scared that you took this that well," she said.

His laugh rumbled under her ear. "Both."

"Oh incubus!" Tony's voice sang from below them. They looked over the edge and saw Tony standing on his landing pad. "Oh good Merida, you're with her. So we're having a family dinner now that the family has been fully reunited, so get your asses down here," Tony said.

"When is her gonna realize that an incubus is a guy."

"Oh he knows," she replied. She smirked, before flicking her fingers sending Tony off of the landing though not as fast as he wouldn've gone naturally. She dove off of the roof after him, before pulling Clint with her mind. Tony was screaming like a girl. She fell past him, before her sky surfer was under her feet. She brought Clint to her and made sure Tony stopped right above the ground. He'd called the suit and it was on him just as she stopped dropped him the last two feet to the ground.

"You're cruel," Clint said, holding on to her. She laughed. A repulsar blast flew right by them, and Tony stood on the ground gazing up at her, hand risen.

"Oh you wanna play that game?" she asked.

"I'm thinking about it," he said.

"CLINT! TONY! MATILDA DINNER!" Pepper yelled from the helicopter landing.

"After dinner," he said, flying up.


End file.
